Monster's Ball
by Darien Fawkes
Summary: As the fallen Nighlock celebrate the Feast of the Fallen, the Rangers celebrate Halloween.  But how long do any such things remain harmless celebrations.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Alright, although this is something of a Halloween story, I am confident it will probably extend beyond the day itself. However, I do have some stuff I really want to put into it. Hope you enjoy it, Happy Halloween folks!

**Legal: **I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, places, events etc. Anything not covered by the above rights should be considered purely the creation of the author.

**Rating: **T-May be some mild adult themes.

Mia was in her room, looking out her costume for the Rangers' Halloween party. Mentor Ji had wondered about the idea of a party at first, Mike had come up with the very good point that if the Gap Sensor did go off, then as young adults, they would likely draw MORE attention to themselves if they rushed around in the city without Halloween costumes. It was a complete excuse, but Mentor Ji had finally relented, and agreed that once they had finished training for the day, and completed their chores, which took a lot less time for most of them since Kevin was doing all the chores for the next month after his recent behaviour, that they could do as they wished and have their party.

She pulled the dress out of the box, and smiled. It hadn't taken her long to choose what to be for Halloween, she had dressed as the same character virtually every year since she was five years old. She started to unbutton her blouse, just as Kevin knocked on the door and came in.

"You finished quickly." She commented.

"I had to." Kevin told her. "Look, can we talk?"

She knew this was coming, she had seen the way he was acting uncomfortably all day. Between training and chores, this was really the first chance he'd had to get Mia on her own. She turned back to him and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Alright." She put down flatly. "What do you want to say?"

Kevin knew what he wanted to say, but thinking about it, it just sounded so lame. After what he had said to her, and the way he had run off and put himself needlessly in danger, sorry didn't seem to be in the same galaxy as good enough. Unfortunately, he had no idea what was good enough, and it was the only place to start.

"Mia, I'm really sorry about what I said." Kevin began. "About Aaron I mean. It was so far out of line...if you never want to speak to me again I'll understand."

"Kevin, you had just proposed to me, and then you accused me of wanting to get back with Aaron." Mia told him. "Do you have any idea what that did to me?"

"I know, I'm sorry, there's no way I can...all I can say is sorry." He told her. "I love you, and I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you, even if you can't...even if it means we aren't together anymore."

"So that's it is it?" She asked him. "Your MO is to just give up?"

"Mia..."

"Kevin, I love you too." She replied. "What you did hurt, it hurt a lot, and it'll be a while before I can forget it, but I'm not willing to lose what we have over it."

"Mia, you have no idea..." His words were cut off as he closed in to try and kiss her, but she held her hands in his chest, stopping him.

"I'm still angry, and I need to straighten things out before I'm not." She explained.

"I know what I did to you was unforgiveable." He replied.

"You still don't get it do you?" She asked him. "Kevin, what you said hurt, but what was worse was not knowing where you had gone. I didn't know if you were in danger or not. Then when I heard what you were doing, can you imagine what that put me through?"

He looked to her and shook his head sadly.

"You can't deal with things on your own. That's part of what being a couple is all about." She reminded him. "I know the Olympics was your dream. I understand that it's been a huge part of your life. But it isn't all that's in your life."

She smiled at him.

"I'm in your life too." She told him. "What's important to you is important to me. If you had come to me, just talked to me, then maybe all this could have been avoided."

"So...I'm forgiven?" He asked her hopefully.

"I'll let you know." She replied, handing him a costume box. "I still need to think of how I intend to get you to make up for being such a jackass."

"I suppose that's fair." Kevin sighed, putting the box down on the bed. He then opened it, and let out a little laugh. "Although, I think this might be payback enough."

"You thought wrong." Mia told him, pulling her costume out of the box and heading to the en-suite. "Besides, if we are together, don't you think our costumes should match?"

As she closed the door, Kevin pulled a set of tights out of the costume box and sighed.

"Only for you Mia." He said, shaking his head. "Only for you."

Meanwhile, over in the Dark Zone, deep within the Netherworld, Dayu rounded a cliff, keeping cover behind some rocks. She had heard some commotion, and knowing that the Feast of the Fallen was due to take place tonight, she figured that any congregation of Nighlocks was likely to indicate a way to get to it.

In the last day, she had only just found out about the true nature of The Dark Zone, that it was the realm of the fallen Nighlocks, and she had found out that once a year a castle would appear, and they would go there to feast to honour those that fell in battle to the Samurai. Although she could guess that as a living Nighlock, she would be taking a huge risk trying to attend, she felt that she had to. If there was even a chance she could see Dekker again, even for one night, she would gladly take any risk.

An incredibly ancient Nighlock, a massive creature some eight feet tall, and heavily muscled, towered over the crowd, calling them all to order. He was wearing dark armour of black metal, trimmed in bronze, etched with evil runes. Across his back, there was a shield, the size of a man, also made of black metal and trimmed in bronze, bearing a coat of arms. A purple cloak billowed out from behind him in the breeze.

His head was that of a lion, with a huge, proud mane of blazing red fur. He had bright yellow eyes, and huge fangs. He drew his sword, holding it overhead as he addressed the assembled Nighlock.

"I call all who have given their lives in honourable battle to attention!" The Lion Nighlock began in a massive, booming voice that silenced them all with a single sound. "Millennia ago, we Nighlock walked the Earth, and the Netherworld freely, the dominant species on the planet! Humans cowered in fear and fell to their knees before us!"

All the Nighlocks hung their heads, mourning the loss of their glory days.

"I was the very first Nighlock King!" He declared proudly. "I ruled over the Netherworld and the Earth. Some plucked up the courage to face me, but all fell to my blade until one fateful day, when finally one managed to best me. His blade failed to penetrate my armour as all forged by man have failed to do so, but this man was strong, and he found my one weakness, breaking my neck with his bare hands!"

The Nighlock all murmured something as they fell to one knee in reverence.

"I was the first Nighlock to be sent to The Dark Zone." He continued. "And it was on this very night, all those years ago. Since then, more have joined me here, but on this night, we celebrate our fighting spirit and courage."

He pointed his sword to the sky, and an energy bolt shot out of it, at which a massive gray cloud formed in the black sky. A few moments later, the cloud formed into a castle, floating miles above their heads.

"On this night, we honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the war against the humans." He declared. "Let the feast BEGIN!"

The Nighlock all cheered as they leapt into the air, landing on the cloud supporting the castle. Dayu watched for a little while, making sure they filed into the castle, before following them.

Landing on the cloud, she was confronted by two mooger guards. One of them was holding a list. It looked to the list, then to the other and shook its head as they spoke in the garbled speech that only they and Nighlocks understood. Her name wasn't on the list. She just reached to her Harmonium, her hand tightening around the head of the instrument.

"Tonight, you make an exception." She told them. The two moogers rushed her, but she reacted too quickly, drawing her broken blade, and knocking both of them off the cloud. She watched them fall, before a thought occurred to her. If they were here, then that meant they had already been destroyed. She had no idea if they could be destroyed again, and even then, would they reappear in The Dark Zone?

"I guess I'll just have to be quick." She commented, walking into the castle, stepping on the discarded list as she went.

Back in the Shiba House, Mentor Ji was sitting in the main room, wearing a white suit, with a black silk shirt, and his hair was slicked back. Mike had managed to talk him into joining in the fun of the party, and so he had opted for a "Saturday Night Fever" costume. He looked to the door as Jayden walked in, and smiled.

"Ah, Lord Nelson I presume." Mentor Ji said with a smile, seeing that Jayden was dressed in an ancient British Naval admiral's uniform. Jayden just nodded.

"It's the only thing I could think of that accommodates this." He replied, gesturing to the sling. Mentor Ji just nodded in understanding.

"I'm sure it won't be much longer until you can return to light exercise." He answered. "From what I can see, your wound is healing well."

"I just wish it wasn't taking so long." Jayden said with a little nod. "I mean, this is the longest I've been out of training."

"Well, just consider yourself lucky." Serena stated as she came into the room, carrying a couple of bowls of chips. She was wearing an orange jump suit, with a prisoner identification number across the back, and repeated on the left breast. "Considering what I went through, I'd have taken a sword through the shoulder any day."

"Now, let's not get into comparing scars." Mentor Ji chuckled. "I'm sure Emily would have you both beat hands down."

"You'd be surprised." Serena answered as she sat down, taking a chip and getting some sour cream dip. "Despite being so accident prone, that kid seemed to bounce more than she broke."

"Speaking of bouncing..." Jayden said, pointing to the doorway. Right then, Emily walked in, wearing a bright pink bunny outfit, completed by having painted her nose black, and whispers on her cheeks. Her expression though said she was somewhat less than happy.

"Aw, look at the cute little bunny!" Serena giggled as Emily sat down, crossing her arms over her chest defensively and sulking.

"I forgot alright?" She said a little bad-temperedly. "By the time I got to the costume store, this was all they had left!"

"Aw Emily, its great." Jayden assured her.

"It's not even a real bunny." She whined. "They didn't even have one in a realistic colour. Instead I'm wearing Mia's colour."

"It'll teach you to pick your costume in good time next year." Antonio's voice stated, causing all of them to look all around, trying to locate where he was.

"Antonio?" Jayden asked. "Where are you?"

Just then, he dropped down from the ceiling, landing a little way off and striking a pose. He was wearing a long, thick, white hooded robe, with brown canvas trousers, and a pair of boots. He had a wide leather belt, and leather shoulder pads strapped on, and large, leather bracers on each arm.

"Uh...Antonio?" Jayden asked. "What are you wearing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He asked. The others just shook their heads.

"A monk?" Serena asked.

"A monk with a leather fetish?" Jayden guessed next.

"I'm Ezio Auditore!" Antonio told them. They just continued to stare blankly at him. "From Assassin's Creed II?"

Just then, Mike ran in, performing a skilful wall-flip, before landing and striking a pose. He stopped and looked to Antonio aghast. Both of them were dressed in virtually the same way.

"Dude, you're Ezio too?" Mike asked him.

"Alright, this is embarrassing." Antonio sighed. "Alright, one of us will need to change."

"Well I'm not changing." Mike said flatly. "I planned this costume months ago!"

"Alright." Antonio sighed, before taking off one of his bracers and his shoulder pads.

"OK, so...that's changing?" Jayden asked. Mike just nodded.

"Yeah, now he's Altair." He just saw them all still staring in confusion. "From the original Assassin's Creed?"

"OK, I think you guys need to realise not all of us are obsessed with video games." Mia commented as she came in. The Rangers all looked at her, seeing her standing before them in a tattered pink dress, with a grimy white apron over it.

"OK, so you are definitely a sucker for Cinderella." Mike remarked. She just smiled in response and shrugged.

"What can I say? It's my favourite story." She said as she looked around. "So when's dinner going to be ready?"

"It's all in the oven." Antonio assured her. "All low maintenance stuff so we can all be here enjoying the party."

"So where's Kevin?" Emily asked. Mia just looked around, realising he hadn't come out of the room with her.

"I'll be right back." She told them. She went into her room. "Kevin!"

"Mia, I just had to adjust..."

"Kevin come on!" She said a little more sternly. A short time later, she dragged Kevin into the room. He was wearing a pair of black boots, and white tights, over which was a blue tunic, patterned with white thread, with a coat of arms on the chest. He had a belt, which was holding a plastic sword, and a black hat with a large feather in it. Seeing him, Emily started to giggle. Mike wasn't far behind her, holding her.

"OK, so it finally happened." Jayden sniggered. "It looks like Mia finally found her Prince Charming."

Meanwhile, in the castle within The Dark Zone, Dayu made her way carefully through the halls, trying not to draw any attention to herself as she looked around. She made her way to a balcony overlooking the main ballroom.

She could hardly believe what she was seeing. Tables erected all around the hall groaned under the weight of a veritable mountain of food, and wine flowed freely, served by mooger servants, while a band also made of perished moogers provided the entertainment.

She saw many Nighlocks she recognised, indeed this year a number of new Nighlocks had been added to the "guest list". In one corner, Splitface was regaling Doubletone with the tale of how he had met his end at the claws of the newly repaired Clawzord.

She didn't care what else was going on though; all she was here for was to find Dekker. If she could confirm that he was here, that he resided in The Dark Zone now, then that would mean it was possible to still have the man she loved so much, she had sold her soul just for the chance to see him one more time.

"This music stinks!" She heard a voice state a little way from her. "And this food? Well at least the wine is alright."

She recognised the voice, and knew it was Negatron. She would recognise that blowhard's insults anywhere. She made her way back downstairs, looking around to find him. Negatron's biggest strength was also his biggest weakness. He never could shut his mouth.

She made her way around behind him, grabbing him and yanking him into a side corridor out of sight.

"Hey what gives?" Negatron yelled, before he saw her. "Hey Dayu, what did you do? Bore yourself to death with your awful music?"

"That's none of your concern." She told him. "I'm looking for Dekker."

"Oh, that's just too precious. You're still pining after him even after you bit the big one?" He asked her. "That's so sad and pathetic, it's almost funny. Why don't you just get some wine...?"

She drew the blade from her Harmonium and pressed it under his chin.

"I'll ask one more time." She told him. "Where is Dekker? Have you seen him?"

"Oh please, what do you think that will do?" Negatron asked her. "I've been beheaded twice since I got here! We're all dead remember?"

"It might not kill you, but I'm sure I can make you hurt." She growled. "Now, have you seen Dekker?"

"Alright, let's not get too hasty." He answered. "Dekker's not here."

"He's not here?" Dayu asked him. "But...I thought all Nighlock came here."

"He wasn't on the list." Negatron told her. Dayu just pressed the blade into his chin a little more forcefully.

"That's impossible!" She snapped. "I watched him fall myself!"

"You really aren't the sharpest tool in the shed are you?" He asked her. "All Nighock that fall in battle to the Samurai come here. He's not on the list because he didn't make the entry requirements!"

"Wait, that means..." She gasped, her blade slipping from his chin. "Dekker's alive?"

Just then, there was a commotion in the main hall. The whole castle shook as the booming voice of the first Nighlock King rang out.

"What do you mean there's a living Nighlock here?" He roared. Dayu suddenly had a horrible thought. Negatron had said that fallen Nighlock could not die again. Her fear was confirmed, the moogers she had cast off the cloud had returned. Negatron looked to her as he heard this.

"You!" He roared. "She's here! Come quick, the party crasher's here!"

With that, Dayu shoved Negatron into the first of her pursuers to come around the corner, before taking to heel and running.

As she got to the gate, cutting down Doubletone as he tried to tackle her, she got out onto the cloud, but something slipped under her foot, causing her to fall. She looked to see that it was the invite list. Hearing the others getting closer, she just snatched it up and leapt off the cloud.

She ran as fast as she could, dodging attacks all the way, until she finally crossed the border out of The Dark Zone. She turned to see several Nighlocks bounce back off an invisible barrier as they tried to follow her. It seemed that the fallen Nighlock could not leave, something she was thankful for.

Finding her way to a cave for cover before she could be found, Dayu checked the list. There were thousands of names, more than she could count, but as she looked it over and over, she confirmed one thing that made her heart soar. Dekker's name wasn't on the list. She didn't know where he was, or what state he was in, but that didn't matter right now. All that mattered was that he was alive.


	2. The Halloween Party

"...And so, the ancient Samurai looked into the reflection upon the blade of his sword still stained with the blood of his best friend, and saw for the first time, his form as a Nighlock." Mentor Ji concluded as the Rangers and Serena all sat around him in a semi-circle. They had progressed to the point of the evening where they were exchanging horror stories, and Mentor Ji had been only too willing to impart his.

"So what happened next?" Kevin asked. "Why is there no sixth noble clan now?"

"So the legend goes, the sixth noble clan was so shamed by their ancestor's betrayal of the others that they took an oath to serve the Shiba Clan, but to never again raise arms." Mentor Ji concluded. "That is why, to this day, the Samurai have servants.

"OK, THAT was a good story!" Serena declared, reaching for a glass of wine. "I mean seriously, it had everything. Friendship, betrayal, monsters...It was awesome!"

"Yeah, seriously that was a great story." Emily agreed, lifting her hood a little out of her eyes. Her bunny costume did have a habit of occasionally slipping into her eyes. Mentor Ji just smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you liked it." He replied. "Anyway, it is getting late, and I am sure you young things would like some time to yourselves, so I will leave you to it. All I ask is that you keep the noise to a reasonable level."

With that, he got up and left the room, heading to his bedroom. Mike got up and headed to the middle of the room.

"Alright, so who wants to play truth or dare?" He asked them. The Rangers all nodded. "Alright, I'll go first. Jayden, Truth or dare?"

"Truth." Jayden stated. He saw Mike preparing to ask a question, but held up a hand to stop him, looking around. He looked to Antonio and smiled.

"Sorry to break the rules a little, but I do have a truth to tell." Jayden told them. "You all know that I'm gay. Well, something has happened."

Mike gave Emily and Kevin both a little glance, and a slightly smug smile. He had already known, given little things he had seen. Jayden's hand strayed to Antonio's and he held it softly.

"Antonio and I are not just friends." He told them with a tone that sounded as much like a sigh of relief as anything else. "We're together."

"Well, I for one am happy." Serena told him. "Sure, I made my intentions clear at one time, but at least you didn't ditch me for another woman."

Jayden just laughed and nodded. Serena had known about his sexuality for a lot longer than the others, and she had known about his crush on Antonio long before he had admitted it. She was the first one he had told, and true to her word, she hadn't said anything, not even to her own sister. He appreciated that about her. She had maintained her promise as a point of honour.

"I knew it!" Mike snapped, leaping to his feet and pointing at them both, and performing something of a little victory dance. "Oh, did I call it or what?"

"Mike, sit down." Emily groaned, grabbing the back of his robes and pulling him back down. He had maintained to her ever since the night they had seen Jayden kissing Antonio's cheek in the city that they were more than just friends, but until she heard it from them, she wasn't willing to jump to conclusions. She looked to the Red Ranger. "So...how long...?"

"It's not been long." Antonio cut in, squeezing Jayden's hand reassuringly. He appreciated that Jayden had told Ji about them, and he was happy that now he had told their friends. He was only too happy to make up the middle ground. Having been out a lot longer than Jayden, he appreciated how huge it was for Jayden to make those steps. "But we're happy."

"Well, here's hoping you stay that way." Mia replied, lifting her wine glass. The others all followed suit, clinking them in the centre of the circle.

"Alright, time for me to go next." Jayden stated, looking around. "Emily, truth or dare?"

Emily was more than a little nervous as she heard this. After Jayden's admission, she wondered what exactly they would ask of her. Of course, the other option was dare, and she had even less desire to know what they would ask her to do there. She shut her eyes and gritted her teeth.

"Dare." She finally stated. Jayden's lips split into a slightly wicked grin.

Back in the Netherworld, Dayu was still reeling from what had happened. It was only a short time since she had found out that not only did Nighlocks that were destroyed not simply disappear, but were banished to The Dark Zone, but that Dekker was not among them. She had no idea where he was or what state he was in, but clutching the scroll that was the invite list for the Feast of the Fallen, she now knew that somewhere out there, Dekker was still alive.

She truly didn't know how to feel. Having risked all to attend the Feast of the Fallen, despite being alive, she had wondered what she would do if she had met Dekker there. Her heart ached so much to see him again, she would gladly have marched to her own end to spend eternity with him, even if he didn't know who she was. However, now she knew that he still lived, albeit she had no idea where, or in what capacity.

She had managed to flee The Dark Zone before the Fallen could claim her, but now she was truly lost. She was no ally to Master Xandred, meaning that she could expect nothing but a swift end if she went to his subjects for help locating her lost love, and she had no place in the mortal world any longer.

As she sat by the banks of the Sanzu River, she laid down her Harmonium, held her head in her hands and wept as she hoped that inspiration would come to her.

The party was continuing in the Shiba House, at a respectable level. Mentor Ji appreciated that the Rangers were all young adults, and had a certain need to blow off steam, especially considering all that had been asked of them in their short lives, all he asked in return was that they kept it to a respectable level so that they would be in a fit state to train in the morning, and so that he could get a decent nights' sleep.

Serena went outside, finding Emily out there sulking after hearing one too many jokes regarding her bunny costume. As much as she was a young woman, it wasn't that long ago Emily was a kid, and being bullied constantly in school, so Serena appreciated that sometimes words had more of an effect on her than on most. She sat down next to Emily.

"Are you here to offer me a carrot?" Emily asked grumpily. She wasn't really hurt or angry, she knew her friends were only teasing her light-heartedly as a result of the fact she had been too late to pick another costume at the store, she was just fed up of all the jokes and needed a little time away. Serena sat next to her.

"Actually I wanted to thank you." Serena told her. "I had a little look at that web site you were talking about."

"Really?" Emily asked her. Serena just nodded.

"I was just thinking, it seems I'm going to be around for a while since I'm training Bulk and Spike." Serena told her. "I figured that outside of that, it's not like I have much better to do. I don't have the chores I would at the farm..."

Emily cut her off by hugging her tightly, too tightly, so tightly Serena could hardly breathe. She had suggested online courses because she knew that Serena was self-conscious about her lack of a formal education due to her long period of illness.

"Any idea what you want to do?" Emily asked her. "And Japanese and Oriental history doesn't count, because you know you'd ace that."

"I was actually thinking of Palaeontology." Serena admitted. "You know, dinosaurs and stuff. I saw this course online set by a doctor in Reefside that looks really interesting."

"Well, whatever does it for you I suppose." Emily said with a shrug. She had no idea how Palaeontology would lead to any form of career for Serena, or to a place where she would feel any closer to Peter, Emily's original intention in the first place, but seeing the way Serena's face lit up talking about it, she accepted that it seemed like something she wanted to do. "So, have you decided what you're going to do about Peter?"

"Emily, you're like a broken record." Serena said in an exasperated groan. "I looked at the courses you recommended, isn't that enough?"

"Nope." Emily chirped cheerfully, looking at the way her sister was starting to turn red, almost blending into the prison uniform costume she was wearing for the party. "I'm not giving up on this."

"Nothing's happening Emily." Serena told her. "He's going back to Japan once he's strong enough to travel, and even if he wasn't, he's way out of my league!"

"Out of your league?" Emily asked her incredulously. "You do realise you were the prettiest and most popular girl in town right?"

"It's not like I had much competition, there were only about a hundred kids at school and half of them were boys." Serena reminded her.

"Yeah, and just about all of them wanted to be with you." Emily stated. Serena just glared at her, at which Emily held up her hands. "What? I spent half my childhood stuffed into lockers. You learn a lot when people forget you're around."

Just then, Serena tapped Emily on the arm, and pointed to another part of the garden, where Mi had come out for some fresh air. Kevin wasn't far behind her. Serena just ushered Emily out of sight, but stuck close enough for them to hear what was going on.

"Alright Mia, you asked me to come out here." Kevin sighed. "So...?"

"Kevin, I've thought about us a lot." Mia told him. "Especially what has happened the last couple of nights."

He sat on a bench and looked a little saddened as he prepared for what was to come.

"You've acted like the biggest jerk imaginable." She told him. "But...I can't stay mad at you. While you've hurt me, you've also shown me so much that I love, that I can't ignore it."

"OK?" He said a little quizzically, not sure where this was going. She reached into a pocket, pulling out the engagement ring.

"How much did this cost?" She asked him.

"Mia..."

"Mike told me about your savings." She continued. "Did you spend it all on this?"

Kevin just took a deep breath and nodded. He didn't have it in him to lie to her. The ring was expensive, and had wiped out all the money he had saved for going to London for the Olympics. He had thought that it didn't matter anymore since he knew that he wasn't going to London, but he still couldn't bring himself to lie when Mia asked him about his savings.

"Kevin, I can't accept this." She told him. He just nodded as he held out his hand. Mia just held it as he did though, somewhat surprising him. "I can't accept this knowing what you'd be giving up."

"Mia..."

"You don't have any lines in this story Kevin, this is my scene." Mia put down flatly, silencing him. "London 2012 is out, I get that. Seriously, I do, but I can't watch you just throw away everything you trained for."

"Mia, I'll probably not make it to 2016." He reminded her.

"I heard Kurt Angle's trying out, and he's 38." She told him.

"He's a wrestler!" Kevin reminded her. "It's a different thing entirely!"

"Kevin, just shut up and listen will you?" Mia told him. "I want you to train; I want you to give it your all. Swimming's been the most important thing in your life until now; I won't watch you give it up."

"But..."

"You'll do all you can and give it your best shot." Mia stated. "If you don't make it, at least you'll have given it an honest shot. But I know you too well. If you don't try, you'll hate yourself for it."

She looked to the ring and then put a hand on his shoulder.

"Were you serious?" She asked him.

"Mia..."

"Were you serious or was this a rebound thing?" She asked him. He took a deep breath as he thought about it.

"I guess...it was a thought that was crossing my mind." He admitted. "This might have kicked me into doing it, but believe me, I love you, and I can't imagine being with anyone else."

"Then the answer is yes." She told him. Kevin started to smile.

"You mean...?"

"There are conditions though." She told him. "The first is, and I've thought about this a lot, so don't bite my head off. I want to see if I can find Aaron and talk to him."

"Mia..."

"I don't want him in my life, but there is a lot I need to talk to him about." She told him. "You understand right?"

"If that's..."

"I'm not finished." Mia continued. "I want you to train, and I want you to try for 2016. If you make it, I'll be with you all the way. If not, then at least you'll have given it your best shot. I couldn't live with myself if you resented me for the fact you never tried."

"I will, I promise." Kevin told her.

"Finally, in the morning, we're taking this back to the jeweller's and getting your money back." She put down flatly. "I don't need a fancy ring to know that you're the man I love. I'll pick one in a more respectable price range."

She placed her forehead to his and smiled.

"If you do qualify you'll need the money. Tickets to Copenhagen are expensive." She told him. Kevin wrapped his arms around her neck softly.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" He asked her. She returned the gesture.

"So if you accept the conditions, the answer is yes." She told him. "Yes, I'll marry you."

Kevin couldn't believe his luck. He thought it was a wild hope that she would even stay with him, much less agree to pledge her life to him. He couldn't find any words to express how he felt, and so did the only thing that made sense and pressed his lips to hers.

A little way off, Emily was practically bouncing with excitement at what she had heard, but Serena clamped a hand over her mouth to stop her from revealing the fact they had seen and heard everything.

"Not yet bunny girl." Serena told her. "Let them have their moment. They'll tell us when they're ready."

With that, she dragged her younger sister away, leaving Kevin and Mia alone in the garden.

Back in the living room meanwhile, the guys were exchanging jokes when Serena and Emily returned. Mike perked up as he saw Emily.

"And there's my favourite little bunny." He chirped cheerfully. "I thought you were sulking."

"I was." She told him, looking to Serena with a knowing little smile. "But I'm in a better mood now."

"Well that's..."

"What's that?" Antonio asked, interrupting Mike.

"What's what?" Serena replied.

"That." He replied, pointing to one of the walls. They all just looked to the wall, then back to Antonio.

"What?" Serena asked again. Antonio went to the wall and switched off the light. It was only in the low light they could see what he was talking about. There was a distinct red light in one of the walls.

Jayden went to the wall and pressed it in, at which a secret panel opened up, revealing a safe inside.

"OK, that's obviously Mentor Ji's." Mike stated. "So...we should..."

Jayden typed in a combination, unlocking the door, causing them all to look at him, a little surprised.

"How did you...?"

"I grew up with the guy." Jayden said with a shrug. "I tried his birthday and it worked."

"Maybe we should wait for Mentor Ji." Emily suggested, feeling a little uneasy as Jayden grabbed the door. Jayden just swung it open, looking inside. The whole room was bathed in a deep, red light.

"Alright, now I'm with Emily." Mike stated. "We should definitely wake Mentor Ji."

In the safe, among some papers and a few artefacts was the shard of Urumasa that had been removed from Jayden's shoulder, glowing brightly.

"But I thought..."

"So did I." Jayden interrupted Mike as Antonio rested a hand comfortingly on his shoulder. "So did I."


	3. The Broken Sword

Mentor Ji, Serena and the Rangers were sitting around in the Living Room, surrounding the table where the shard of Urumasa was sitting. It was not glowing as brightly as it had been, but it was clearly still giving off supernatural energy. Not only could they see the red glow coming from it, but they could feel an uncomfortable atmosphere in the room, like the very aura of the deaths caused by the blade were filling the room, weighing on all of them.

"Alright, I guess I'll ask this one." Antonio stated. "Urumasa's broken right?"

"So is Jayden, that doesn't mean he's dead right?" Mike replied. The others all just kind of glared at him, Jayden especially. His shoulder still hurt like hell, and it would be a while before his arm recovered enough for him to lose the sling. "What? It's true!"

"Despite his lack of diplomacy, it appears that Mike is right." Mentor Ji sighed. "I fear that it is apparent that Urumasa's spirit was not broken with the blade. It seems Urumasa still lives."

"So...if Urumasa's still alive, then does that mean this glow...?"

"I believe it is calling a master to it." Mentor Ji confirmed Kevin's statement with a curt nod as he looked back to the blade. He picked it up carefully, wrapped in a black satin cloth.

"Wait." Antonio gasped, looking a little concerned, before turning to Jayden. "Are you feeling anything?"

"Like what?" Jayden asked.

"I thought Urumasa usually called to the one that killed its previous owner." Antonio reminded them. "You know, that it passed to the next strongest warrior. Jayden killed Dekker, doesn't that mean he should be the one it's calling to now?"

"We don't know what nature the call takes." Mentor Ji reminded him. "Those that have felt it are no longer with us to tell us how the call feels."

"I haven't really felt anything though." Jayden admitted. "Other than the huge wound where that damned blade impaled me of course."

"Maybe Urumasa's weakened." Kevin suggested. "I mean, it is broken. Maybe when it broke, its power over its master weakened."

"Of course, there is another possible explanation." Mike put down with a deep breath.

"What's that?" Kevin asked him.

"Maybe it isn't calling to Jayden because its previous master's still alive." He suggested. The others all looked to him, decidedly concerned by what he had said, Jayden especially.

"Mike, he died." Serena told him abruptly. "We both saw it!"

"Serena..."

"Jayden, we both saw him fall!" Serena reminded him. "He disappeared..."

"Sadly, that is exactly what you saw." Mentor Ji reminded her. "You saw him disappear. You could not confirm whether or not that means he perished."

"Great, well that's a comforting thought." Mike muttered. "Either the psycho's still kicking around somewhere, or we're just waiting until Jayden turns into Dekker version 2.0."

"Jayden would never wilfully harm anyone, least of all us." Antonio snapped, looking somewhat less than pleased with Mike's comment. It wasn't often that the Green and Gold Rangers butted heads.

"Kind of like Dekker would never wilfully harm his own family?" Jayden asked. "I think we have to accept the fact that Urumasa's influence is strong, and we don't really understand the power it has over its wielder."

"But we do know it can be resisted." Antonio told them. "You remember the difference between Dekker and Kenzo right? Kenzo gave himself completely to its bloodlust, but Dekker's strength curbed it."

"He still couldn't stop himself from seeking battle." Jayden stated. "I think until we know for sure what it means..."

"It means nothing!" Antonio continued to protest. "Dekker was strong enough to resist its darker nature. You're stronger than he ever was. Even if it does call to you, even if no one has ever beaten it before, you're stronger than all of them! I know you can beat it!"

"How about destroying it?" Serena asked them. "I still have Kasamune, maybe..."

"We have seen some of Urumasa's power first-hand." Mentor Ji reminded her. "Unless we were left without an option, I would not advise we risk attempting to destroy it."

"Releasing that energy all at once?" Antonio asked with a little shudder. "I guess that wouldn't be such a good idea."

"Kind of like disarming a nuke by smacking it with a hammer." Mike surmised.

"Something tells me that analogy doesn't quite cover it." Antonio replied. "Seeing what Kenzo could do with it, I think this would make Hiroshima look like a cap pistol"

"Alright, so unless we don't have a choice, destroying it is out." Serena replied, starting to get the message. "So what else can we do? Hide it?"

"I think that may be for the best." Mentor Ji replied.

"Still, I think we need to prepare for the worst." Jayden told them. "Ji, the blade can't stay here."

"Jayden..."

"I know you have means at your disposal. I know you have other places you can hide it." Jayden told him. "Make sure it is defended, but this is important. You can't let me know where it is."

"Jayden..."

"I'm serious Mia, we don't know if it will call to me or not." Jayden cut her off. "If it does, and I can't resist it, we might have to face the fact that if I know where it is, I could become a danger to the team."

"Well, what about that other option?" Mike asked them. "What if Dekker isn't gone?"

"That's even more reason to keep the blade hidden." Jayden replied, looking back to Ji. "I' entrusting this mission to you Ji. I would trust no one else with this task."

"I have somewhere in mind." Mentor Ji replied. "It will require me to be gone for some time though."

"Fine, we'll cope without you." Jayden stated.

"I swear I will do all I can to ensure that Urumasa never harms another." Mentor Ji told him, wrapping up the shard. "I will leave first thing in the morning."

"I have to get up early too." Serena told them. "My 'students' need all the help they can get."

"Well, so much for the party I guess." Antonio sighed. "Come on Mike, I'll help you clear up."

"I'll help too." Emily chipped in, picking up a couple of the bowls.

"I think we'll just call it a night if no one minds." Mia stated, giving Kevin a little knowing look. "We kind of have something we need to take care of too."

With that, they all split off to make their preparations for the day ahead.

The following morning, Ji had finished packing a bag with a few belongings. He didn't require much, only some clothes and some money, both of which fit quite easily into a rucksack. He had changed into street clothing, not wanting to rouse too much suspicion on his journey. He heard a knock at the door, and turned to see Serena standing behind him.

"Serena..."

"I promised my students I'd come for them early today." She began. "I just wanted to see you briefly before you left."

"Is something troubling you?" He asked her. She just smiled and shook her head.

"I just wanted to give you something back." She told him. She reached across, handing him the hidden blade he had given her at the beginning of her quest for Kasamune.

"Serena..."

"We don't know if your journey will be uneventful." She told him. "I just wanted you to have a little something in case you run into trouble."

"I guess I have run into my fair share of trouble." Ji answered, rolling up his sleeve. Serena took the weapon and started to strap it to his forearm. "You are so much like your mother. She was the first one who accepted my attempts to make amends for my behaviour."

"That sounds like her." Serena replied. "Mom always tried to see the best in everyone."

"If it wasn't for her, I do not know if I could have remained at the Shiba House following my return." He said to her honestly. "I know it is hard for you being here."

"Hard?" She asked with a little laugh. "I'm not the one fighting..."

"You forget we have that in common." Ji stated as he rolled his sleeve down again, flexing his wrist to test the blade. It sprang forth, at which he gave her a little smile. "It is hard to watch those you care about go to battle. It is even harder when you want to help, but we all have our place in this war."

"I can't say it was easy accepting I'd never be the Yellow Ranger." Serena agreed. "I guess the whole 'Blessed Warrior' thing fell flat too."

"You still have much to offer, especially now." Ji stated, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I never had children of my own. Jayden is my world, and in time, I have come to view the others the same way. It is not easy for me to leave them behind, but I do so knowing they will be in good hands."

"Thank you." Serena replied, hugging him. It took him a moment to compose himself as she did that, her mother had been just the same. It was heart-warming to know that some things didn't change after all. "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't." Mentor Ji answered. "Oh, just one more thing."

"What's that?" Serena asked.

"Jayden will no doubt take my absence as meaning he can try to get back to training." Mentor Ji told her. "Make sure he does not hurt himself unduly."

"I'll keep an eye on him." Serena assured him, gathering her training bag and heading out the room to go towards the clubhouse. Mentor Ji just turned back to his packing. He would miss the Rangers terribly while he was gone, but he knew that they were in good hands.

As he pulled his rucksack onto his back, he went out to the main room, where all the Rangers were assembled. Kevin offered him a handshake.

"Stay safe Ji." He told him. "Come home soon."

"I will try." Ji answered. Mia came forward, hugging Ji gently, before releasing him.

"Stick to the main roads." She said as she looked to him.

"Where I'm going that may not always be an option." He told her. "However, I will try."

He went to Mike next, smiling at the Green Ranger.

"Work on your symbol power." Ji recommended. "You are progressing admirably. I am confident that I return, there will be a great many things you will be ready to learn."

"I look forward to it." Mike answered, fist-bumping Ji. He went to Emily next, but she just ran at him, hugging him enthusiastically. He released her, before looking to Antonio and Jayden.

"Do not take my absence as meaning you may ignore the doctors' advice." Mentor Ji said to Jayden sternly, before looking to Antonio. "I trust you will ensure he does not strain himself."

"I'll try and keep him in line." Antonio assured him. Ji then went outside, heading to the garage. He hopped onto his motorcycle, strapping on his helmet.

"It's been a long time since my last road trip." Ji commented as he started up the engine. "I will return as soon as possible."

He roared off, leaving the Rangers behind.

As he disappeared into the distance, Mike looked to the others.

"Alright, who's up for some training?" He asked. They all looked a little stunned to hear him say that, they were sure he would be the first one to take advantage of Mentor Ji's absence and goof off. "Come on, he said he'd show me new symbols when he got back!"

"I guess I'm not doing anything." Emily said with a shrug. "Maybe afterwards we can go and see Peter in the hospital."

"I could go for some training." Jayden agreed.

"Only symbol training though!" Antonio warned him. "Your shoulder's still not up to anything more strenuous."

"You don't have to take Ji so seriously." Jayden sighed.

"Hey, I just want you to get better." Antonio told him. "Besides, it'll give me a chance to work on the formatting of The Black Box."

"So are you guys joining us?" Mike asked Kevin and Mia. The Pink Ranger just shook her head.

"We have something more important to do." Mia answered. "We'll be back in time for dinner."

"Alright, have fun!" Emily screeched a little too enthusiastically. She and Serena had overheard the conversation between Kevin and Mia the previous night, and she was excited about the fact that Mia had ended up agreeing to accept Kevin's proposal after all. It was a testament to how strong their relationship was that they had survived through so many trials, and a part of her wanted to be part of the celebration when they finally let everyone else know.

"Em...they're only going shopping." Mike told her. Emily realised her mistake, looking to Kevin and Mia. She didn't want to ruin what she knew was their moment.

"Oh...well...um..." She struggled to think of something. "I was just...have fun."

She went with Mike and the others as they headed to the dojo to train. Kevin just pulled out the keys to the SUV as he led Mia to the vehicle.

"I guess now all we can hope is the jeweller takes this thing back." Kevin sighed. Mia just smiled.

"Well I think I can work some of the old charm." Mia answered. "If the worst comes to the worst, I'll turn on the waterworks and tell him you blew the wedding deposit."

"You know, there is a reason I love you." He replied as he started up the engine.

"More than one I hope." Mia chuckled.


	4. Mia's Ring

Kevin pulled up the SUV on the corner of a street, right by a jewellery store. Performing a picture-perfect parallel parking manoeuvre, coming to rest right beside a parking meter. As he came to a complete stop, he pulled on the parking break, at which Mia just smiled at him.

"I never thought you'd fit in here." She said honestly. He just shrugged.

"I practiced every moment I could until I got it right." He admitted. "I got a perfect score on my driving test on my first try."

"Of course you did." Mia giggled as they got out of the vehicle, closing the doors behind them. Kevin used the key fob to lock the doors as they made their way to the pavement. "My fiancé the perfectionist."

"It isn't that big a deal." He answered.

"Well, let's just say I didn't get a perfect score." Mia replied. "Or that I got it on my first try."

"Really?" He asked her, taking the ring box out of his pocket. "How many times did it take?"

"A few." Mia responded, shoving him towards the jewellers. "Now stop stalling, we're getting that money back."

They went inside, where they found that the store was experiencing something of a quiet spell. During the week, when most people were at work, they tended not to venture out to buy jewellery, but the shop was open nonetheless to catch those that didn't work traditional hours.

Kevin saw a man by the counter, in the process of polishing a display, and recognised him as the man who sold him the ring. He loved Mia so much, that he would have said she deserved every penny that he had spent on the ring, but now that he was thinking more pragmatically, he had to admit that he had let his minor breakdown get to him a little too much and been somewhat excessive. He had spent all the money he had saved since he was a kid, earmarked for the day he would get to go to the Olympics. He pointed to the man as he continued to clean.

"That's him." Kevin told her. Mia just took the ring from him and started to make her way over. Seeing her stride purposefully to the man, Kevin just smiled. Although his proposal had been part of a kind of breakdown, he couldn't think of anything that made him happier than knowing that Mia had agreed she would be his forever as long as he didn't give up on his dreams. She tapped the man on the shoulder, at which he turned around.

"Oh, sorry I didn't see you there." He began, before seeing Kevin with her. He had a habit of remembering his big sales, and Kevin had bought the most expensive ring he could afford. The salesman smiled, thinking that perhaps they were back for something else. "Hey, so how did it go? Is this your fiancée?"

He looked to Mia, looking her up and down and just nodded.

"She's beautiful." He stated. "I can see why you asked her, if I wasn't attached, I may just have asked her myself."

He looked to Mia's hand, realising that she wasn't wearing the ring.

"I guess you came in to get it re-sized?" He asked her. "We have a very reasonable service..."

"Right, I think I have to cut you off there." Mia told him. "We didn't come in to get it re-sized. I doubt we could afford it anyway."

"Oh?" The man asked. Mia could see that he had become decidedly less interested. It was like someone had flipped a switch inside him. "I'm sure we can come to an arrangement..."

"Here's the thing, my boyfriend got a little carried away when he bought the ring." She started to explain. "It's kind of embarrassing really, but he kind of spent more than we could really afford on the ring."

"Oh, I see." The man sighed, making his way behind the counter. "Well, I'm afraid that we can't really do much about that. We do have a no-return policy. We only offer refunds if the goods are faulty, and even then we only offer store credit."

"But he spent our wedding deposit." Mia lied, coming over to the counter. Kevin was impressed by her acting. Hearing her, even he would have believed that, and he knew it wasn't true. They hadn't even talked about setting a date yet. She took the salesman's hand softly, and looked into his eyes. "Please, we'll still buy another ring here, we'll even get it sized here, but if we don't get that refund, we'll have to wait at least a year for the wedding."

"I'm sorry, but I really do have to insist." The man told her apologetically. "I'm afraid all sales are final."

Mia knew that there was logically no reason they couldn't accept the ring back. It hadn't been personally fitted, and it wasn't body-jewellery, so there was no hygiene issue. Of course, as a salesman, she presumed that a large part of the man's pay was down to commission. If he allowed them to trade the ring for one of a lower value, he would likely be cutting his own commission payment. Kevin looked away as he saw Mia starting to breathe heavily and summon up some emotion. She started to sob, and pretty soon afterwards, the tears began. He had to try hard not to laugh and give the game away.

"Please, I'm begging you!" She told him. "This wedding's everything to me. We only want to trade the ring. I've not even worn it yet! You can put it right back on the display now!"

"I..." Kevin could see the man starting to waver as Mia started to cry in front of him. There was always something a little unsettling about a crying woman to most men. He could see the man starting to almost weaken before her. "I'm sorry...I..."

"Please, this wedding is really important to us." Kevin said sadly, joining his girlfriend, putting an arm around her. "I love her so much; I think she's worth every penny of that. But if we don't get that money back..."

"Then we'll have to wait until after the baby's born to get married." Mia interrupted him. Kevin held her closer, and she took her hand, cradling her stomach gently. "Please, my parents are already mad at me. It's really important to my mom..."

"Alright." The man sighed, finally relenting as he took the ring back from Mia. He inspected it, just to confirm that it was still display quality, before setting it aside. "We only keep about three hundred dollars in the register; I'll need to get the money from the safe. Please have a look around. I'll be back soon."

"Thank you!" Mia called out after him as she left, before turning away into the store, and allowing herself a little smile as they started to look around.

"Wow, you weren't kidding!" Kevin complimented her with a little smile. "I can't believe that worked!"

"Hey, when you spend as much time around kids as I did, you learn a few tricks of the trade." She told him with a little shrug. "The little monsters can be really pretty manipulative at times."

He took her to a display, which housed some much more modestly priced rings for her to have a look.

"I really meant it you know." Kevin told her, holding her tightly. "You'd be worth every penny I spent."

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Dayu appeared from a gap, appearing in the last place she ever thought she would want to visit. Seeing the cliffs, the scene played over and over in her mind. This was where Dekker had fallen. Even knowing that he still lived somewhere, it still broke her heart, seeing him falling over the cliff again in her mind.

She didn't know what she hoped, or expected to find, but she thought that this was the only logical place to begin her search. As she leapt to the foot of the cliff, landing by the edge of the sea, she cast her mind back to the battle.

She was watching from a gap, unable to act as fear for the life of the man she loved hung in the balance. As the blades weaved a blurred path around each other, ringing through the air, every strike caused her to flinch as she feared for Dekker's wellbeing.

Then, she saw Serena in the distance, running towards them. She was carrying a sword, something that made Dayu's blood run cold. She knew that she had been searching for Kasamune, the only blade known to have bested Urumasa. If she was running to battle Dekker without any form of Ranger powers, it stood to reason that she would only do so if she had Kasamune. Without thinking about her own safety, she screamed, and ran from her hiding place, tackling Serena hard, the momentum of the blow carrying both of them over the cliff.

She saw Serena hit a ledge a little way down, but she had propelled herself too far from the cliff, and had fallen all the way to the bottom, hitting the rocky shore down below. The force of the impact had stunned her, leaving her unable to return to the battle. By the time her vision cleared, she saw Dekker falling, and disappearing into a cloud of black smoke.

She sighed as she looked around the scene, wondering again what she had expected to find. It was as a wave crashed into the shore that she saw a tiny puff of steam. She watched as it struck home again, and again, throwing up another couple of puffs of steam. She made her way over; finding that there, resting between two rocks was the familiar long handle, and a section of the blade of the cursed sword.

"Urumasa!" She gasped. She could still feel the energy coming from it. It was not as strong as it should have been, but she could still feel the power within the blade. The hand guard was hooked in such a way that the tide hadn't been able to carry it out to sea. She couldn't believe she had missed it, but as Dekker fell, he must have dropped it.

Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed the blade, before recoiling, howling in agony, smoke coming from her palm as it burned her. Urumasa was a jealous blade, only allowing its master to wield it without pain. She looked to the blade, and saw it glowing more brightly.

"I know you're angry. I can understand why." She said, looking to the blade. "Your master is gone."

It started to glow more brightly, and more of the water striking it started to seam up. Apparently, it would not even allow the sea to claim it.

"Your master lives." She told it. "Where, I do not know. But he does not reside in The Dark Zone."

Its red light came to a new intensity, and Dayu could feel the rage coming from it. It already knew that its master was not gone.

"You still call to him." She whispered. "Help me find him!"

She reached out, but it burned her again. Dayu just grunted in pain, before glaring at it.

"I can't find him alone, and neither can you!" She called out. "So you can help me, or you can sit here and wait until the sea finally carries you so far out that no one will ever find you!"

It was still glowing, but started to dim a little. Dayu could tell that she was reaching it on some level.

"All that bloodshed he has caused at your command, and to think, you will never again taste the blood of a mortal. You will simply sit at the bottom of the ocean for all time."

The blade grew dark for a moment. Dayu reached forward, grabbing the handle, this time without any accompanying pain. It started to glow again, and she felt energy channelling through her to her other hand. Her gaze strayed to her Harmonium, which started to glow brightly. There was a flash of blinding light, following which; she looked to the instrument, finding that it had been completely repaired. She looked to the fragment of Urumasa and smiled.

"I suppose now I owe you one." She told the blade. "What do you say I find what you have lost? Perhaps when we find your master, you can be reforged."

The blade gave out a soft glow, and seemed to emit a low, contented hum. It had accepted her idea. Placing the broken blade into her belt, she disappeared into a gap.

Back at the Jewellery store, the assistant came back, carrying some cash. Mia was a little stunned when she saw the size of the bundle he gave Kevin. She knew he had spent a lot on the ring, but seeing it in cash only reinforced what he was willing to give up for her.

"I advise you to get that to a bank as soon as you can." The assistant told Kevin, sighing a little sadly. She could almost sense that he was waving his percentage of that money goodbye reluctantly. "Alright, so have you considered an alternative?"

"I think I've found something that's just perfect." Mia replied. She gestured them over to a cabinet, and could see the salesman's shoulders slump a little. It wasn't exactly the budget section, looking at the prices, she doubted this jewellers had a budget section, but it was not in the same range as the ring they had just returned. "I like this one."

Kevin looked inside, seeing the ring Mia was pointing to. It was a simple gold band, with two pink stones in it, and diamond chips around the sides of them, forming into something that looked a little like the sign for infinity. He smiled.

"Forever." Mia stated. "That's what we are."

"I like the sound of that." Kevin replied. "Can we try it on?"

The jeweller fetched the ring out of the cabinet, and handed it to Kevin, who slipped it onto Mia's finger. She admired it for a moment, before taking it off and handing it back to the assistant.

"It feels a little loose." She told him. "Could you measure it for re-sizing?"

"I'll just get the tools." He stated as he went into the back again. Kevin just held Mia closely.

"It looked perfect." He commented.

"It was." Mia assured him. "But we have just down-sized his commission a good couple of hundred dollars. I figured we could let him have this little victory."

"That's why I love you so much." Kevin stated, leaning in and kissing her softly. Mia just looked into his eyes and gestured outside.

"You may want to put more money in the meter." She stated. "This may take a while."

As Kevin went outside to put more money in the meter, the assistant came out with the tools necessary for the task ahead, holding up a measuring device.

"Alright, let's measure this finger." He sighed. Mia just gave him her hand as she watched Kevin feed the parking meter. She was happy that she was making the right choice, and now she couldn't wait until she got back to the Shiba House. The only thing that could match exchanging vows and pledging their lives to each other now would be the looks on her friends' faces when she finally told them the news.

Mentor Ji pulled his motorcycle over to the side of the road, lifting the visor of his helmet and smiled. He was almost finished with the first leg of his journey.

He got off the bike, making his way behind some bushes, putting his bag down nearby, before pulling down his zipper. It had been a long trip, and he wanted to put as much distance between Urumasa and the Shiba House as quickly as he could. He checked his watch as he began.

"I'm making good time." He commented, finishing off, before straightening himself out. He made his way over to a nearby ledge, and looked out over the city of Ocean Bluff. He saw the harbour a little way off, and smiled, seeing ships coming and going. He was planning to leave the country, but given the fact he was carrying half of a sword, he knew that getting through airport security would be more hassle than it was worth. The best approach he could think of was to find a ship captain that would be able to grant him passage without asking too many questions.

"It's been a long time." He said with a grin, making his way back to his motorcycle. He picked up his bag on the way, and hopped on, pulling down his visor. "Still, no point travelling on an empty stomach. Perhaps I'll take a leaf out of Mike's book and go for some pizza. I could do with seeing an old friend."

With that, he rejoined the road into the city.


	5. Pizza Stop

Mentor Ji pulled his motorcycle up outside a pizza parlour, pulling off his helmet as he arrived. He smiled as he looked up at the logo.

"Jungle Karma Pizza." He chuckled. Although it had been years since his friend had acquired the business with money borrowed from Dr Hartford, and the Shiba Clan, the name still always appealed to his sense of humour. Only RJ would hide his secret identity in plain sight like that. "Only you RJ."

The name and jungle motif were appropriate for the city that had been the home of the Jungle Fury Rangers, and a little known fact was that the Order of the Claw insignia was actually concealed within the logo to make it easy for members of the Order to find. It seemed to work though; the people of Ocean Bluff still seemed to be blissfully ignorant that the man that made their Thrilla Gorilla pizzas had been instrumental in their safety. Most just presumed that he was inspired by the Rangers for his decor, of course if anyone checked it out, he had actually opened the restaurant a year before the Rangers became active.

He got off the bike, and made his way inside. He found that he had just preceded the lunchtime rush, meaning the restaurant was pretty much deserted. He felt a little gentle tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me sir?" A little voice squeaked out. "Your motorcycle is illegally parked."

Ji turned around to find a young woman in a Jungle Karma uniform standing before him. She was only slightly shorter than him, with brown, frizzy hair and glasses. She looked to him, shuffling nervously. "Can you please move it?"

Mentor Ji just looked to her name badge.

"Fran." He began, seeing the name. "It's quite alright where it is."

"But it's illegally parked." She shrieked as he turned to head to the counter. Mentor Ji just sighed.

"Can you fetch the owner?" He asked her. "He will straighten this out."

"No!" She finally put down firmly, stomping her foot for emphasis. "Your bike is illegally parked, and you're not being served until you move it. There's a parking lot a little way down the road."

"Look, I only want to see the owner." He reiterated. "It will only take a second..."

"I think you should listen to the lady pal." A voice behind him replied. Ji smiled a little as he recognised it. He turned towards it, seeing a large, blonde man standing there. The man looked at him for a second, before his face lit up.

"Ji?" He asked, beginning to laugh. He shook the man's hand enthusiastically.

"Dominic, it's great to see you old friend!" He stated. "I thought you were travelling."

"We got back a year ago." Dom told him. "I see you've met the love of my life Fran."

"I'm very pleased to meet you." Ji replied, shaking the young woman's hand. He noticed a ring on her left hand, and looked back to Dominic. Unless his knowledge of food hygiene regulations was out of date, he knew that only engagement rings and wedding rings were allowed to be worn by food handlers. "So, this is serious I see."

"Yeah, it really is." Dom told him, reaching out his hand. "Would you like me to park up the bike in the garage?"

"That would be appreciated." Ji told him. "I have a matter to discuss with RJ, it may take a while."

As he left, taking the helmet from Ji, he looked back to Fran and smiled.

"So...you and Dominic are engaged?" He asked her.

"Married actually." She replied. "Well, we're kind of married, we aren't officially married in this country, or in any other country because we aren't registered..."

"Fran..."

"...not to mention we wanted to wait until we got home from our travels so we could plan a proper wedding our friends and family could attend..."

"Fran..."

"...but we were part of a Masi ceremony when we were in Africa, so as far as they're concerned, we're married, so I guess we're married in a few square miles in..."

"Breathe Fran." Ji put down, grabbing her shoulders to focus her. He smiled at her, he could see why Dom liked her, he had to admit the babbling was a little cute. "I'm happy for you both. Dominic is a good man."

"So how do you know him?" Fran asked him, drawing in closer and whispering. "Are you Pai Zhuq too?"

"No, but I did have some dealings with the temple." He confirmed. "Now, perhaps if you could fetch..."

"Ji!" RJ called out as he arrived from the kitchen. He came across; his arms open for the hug, which Ji gratefully accepted. "It's been far too long old friend. Are you in town for long?"

"Not for long I am afraid, but I will be here for at least tonight." Ji told him. "I am afraid I must ask you for a favour."

"What kind of favour?" RJ asked him. Ji reached into his backpack, pulling out something that was wrapped in black cloth. Unwrapping it a little, RJ saw the glowing blade of Urumasa. His eyes grew wide.

"Is that...?"

"It is a piece of it." Mentor Ji replied. "I have been charged with taking it somewhere far away to hide it. I need to leave the country, but I cannot risk trying to take it through an airport..."

"Say no more." RJ told him as Mentor Ji wrapped it up again and put it away. "Come up to the apartment, we can talk there. Fran, when the others arrive, tell them to deal with the restaurant without me."

With that, he put an arm around Ji and started to lead him upstairs.

"So tell me, how's the new team?" RJ asked him as they disappeared into the back.

Over in the city, in a city park, Serena was standing watching her students run through some sparring, just stroking her temples. It was slow going trying to teach Bulk and Spike, they were uncoordinated, clumsy, and more than a little slow on the uptake with instructions. She was starting to appreciate what her mother and Mentor Ji had always told her about teaching and the patience it required.

The only things she could say for her two students were that they were enthusiastic, hard-working, and that they were in surprisingly good shape. Bulk especially surprised her with how quickly he could move when he wanted to and how strong he was. The two of them had been training for months before she came, and while they didn't really know what they were doing as far as Martial Arts or swordsmanship were concerned, their training had given her a decent foundation to work with.

"Ow!" Bulk screamed as Spike hit him across the ribs with a shinai, this time a proper one as opposed to the home-made efforts they had been using up until now. Mentor Ji had kindly allowed her to take some equipment to their place to assist in their training. He looked to his nephew and frowned. "How did you...?"

"Nicely done Spike." Serena sighed as she interjected. She took the shinai from Bulk and stood before Spike. "Alright, watch and you'll see what happened."

She moved at a slower speed than normal, matching Bulk's so that he could see. She matched move-for-move what he had done. As she went for the overhead swing, Spike parried it, rebounding her sword clear, before switching grip and bringing it into her ribs, this time a lot more cautiously. He knew that they were meant to train at touch-contact level, but he didn't want to risk angering Serena lest she give him a good beating to make a point.

"When you go for the overhead, you leave almost your entire body exposed." Serena explained. "It's a powerful strike, the highest-scoring in Kendo, but it's also the one with the biggest trade-off in defence. You need to move a lot quicker to land it, and I'd only recommend it if you've already taken care of your opponent's defence."

She went to a bag and pulled out a football helmet. She just looked to Bulk, who just shrugged. By comparison, it was cheaper than the proper Kendo armour. She just threw the helmet to Spike, who put it on without hesitation. She then stood in a guard.

"Something like this." She told him. Spike made a move, at which she used her own shinai to sweep his hands upwards, bringing them over head out the way, and unbalancing him. With a massive yell, she brought the shinai down. She struck him with such force, that Spike ended up on the ground, letting out a pathetic little groan and glassy-eyed.

"Spike!" Bulk called out as he ran over, pulling off the helmet to check on him. Serena always told them that a certain level of contact was needed for training, but even she knew that the blow was excessive. When she had swung the shinai, she saw Dekker on the other end, and Kasamune in her hands. Since Mike had suggested the theory that Dekker may still be alive, she had been thinking of little else. She still couldn't get the horrific image of Peter lying on the ground, his chest carved open by the rampaging Nighlock. She shook her head clear.

"Spike, are you alright?" She asked him.

"I don't want to go to school today mommy!" He mumbled. Serena just helped Bulk get him to his feet.

"Sorry kid, injuries are part of the process." She told him, getting under one of his arms to support him, while his uncle got the other arm. She was trying to sound nonchalant, but she felt genuinely bad about hurting Spike. She should have pulled the blow, even wearing a helmet the overhead strike was a powerful blow, and Spike wasn't even wearing the correct type of helmet. "OK, I think it would be best to call it a day for now, he took a pretty hard shot. He should get checked out at the hospital."

Bulk nodded in agreement as he flagged down a cab. He helped Spike into it, while Serena gathered up their training equipment, loading it into the trunk.

"Hosptial please." Bulk stated, handing the cab driver some notes. Serena got in the passenger seat, just before the cab pulled away.

She had been thinking a lot about Peter, especially since Emily had managed to figure out how she really felt about him. Emily hadn't left it alone since, constantly pressuring her and urging her to talk to Peter and tell him. For once, Emily was the one giving her advice and trying to encourage her. She generally visited Peter every day after training Spike and Bulk, but since they were heading to the hospital anyway, she figured that she could visit him a little early.

Pulling up outside the hospital, they helped Spike from the vehicle. Serena went up to the desk, carrying the training bag as she ran to the desk.

"Hi, we have a kid with a head injury." Serena told her as Bulk helped Spike in the door. "I think he's just been knocked goofy, but I wanted to check him for a concussion..."

"Let me guess, one of you whacked him on the head with one of those sticks." The nurse sighed, pointing to the shinai. An unfortunate factor of the Rangers' popularity was the fact that occasionally people, usually kids, but sadly more than a few adults, had started to try and emulate them. The inevitable result was an increase in hospital admissions caused by copycat incidents. Unfortunately the way the nurse put it was kind of accurate, so Serena just nodded. She handed Serena an admission form, before turning to another nurse.

"Go and tell Dr. Overton we have another idiot who got his clock cleaned playing Samurai Rangers." The nurse sighed. Serena felt a little badly about the way she had addressed the situation. It was a little undiplomatic and also ignorant since she technically was qualified to train them. Of course, sadly it was also a little close to the truth. Her mind really wasn't on the task at hand. She took the form to Bulk.

"Right, you know his details, fill this out." Serena told Bulk. "I need to make some calls."

Bulk just started filling out the form, while keeping an eye on Spike to make sure he didn't go anywhere or pass out. Serena made her way down the corridor, heading for the phones. She wanted to call the others to let them know that she might be a little late, but as she was heading there, she paused as she got to the door to Peter's room.

She felt her chest tighten as she thought about it. She had thought she might see him early today. Checking her watch, she realised it would be hours before she would be expected home anyway. She could pop in for a quick visit and then make the call.

She got inside, finding Peter crashed out on the bed, and a nurse checking up on him. She looked to Serena, recognising her. She had seen her around the hospital a lot visiting him, and knew she was there for him.

"Sorry, but he's dosed up at the moment." The nurse told her. "He had a hard time in physio this morning, so the doctor gave him something."

"I understand." Serena replied, unfortunately understanding more than she really wanted to. When she was in the hospital, she was on all sorts of medication, and so was more than aware of what it was like to be anaesthetised. "How long will he be out?"

"It'll be at least an hour." The nurse replied.

"I'll come back later." She said. Just then, she heard Peter starting to mumble.

"Se..re..na..." He mumbled. Serena stopped as she heard this, turning back.

"Is he...?"

"No, it'll be a while." The nurse told her. "He's just a mumbler. When he's under he talks a lot. Mostly about you actually."

"Me?" Serena asked. "Well...I guess I have been his most frequent visitor."

"Serena." He mumbled again, with a little smile on his face. "...love..."

"Wait, what's he saying?" Serena asked. "Is he trying to say...?"

"Wait, you didn't know?" The nurse asked her. "He talks about you all the time when he's under. You visited so much; we all just thought...you mean you're not his girlfriend?"

Serena just shook her head. The nurse started to look a little uncomfortable.

"Oh, well, this could be embarrassing." The nurse commented. "Sometimes when people are under anaesthesia they talk, and they say things they...probably wouldn't normally."

"So he's said stuff like this before?" Serena asked her. The nurse just nodded.

"Look, he probably won't have any idea he's said this, he certainly won't know he said it when you were around." The nurse explained. "Please, when he does wake up; try not to make a big deal out of it."

"I'll keep it to myself." Serena assured her. "I should really get back to my friends. I'll be back in an hour or so when he wakes up."

Back in the waiting room, Bulk was on his cell phone, pacing as he waited. Spike wasn't there, so she presumed he had been taken in. Head injuries tended to be given a priority because of the potential for brain trauma.

"Yes, he's getting seen as we speak." He told the person on the other line. "They haven't said anything conclusive yet, they're just checking him out for a concussion."

He saw Serena and held up a hand, gesturing to her that he was in the middle of something. Looking at the expression on his face, he could tell that whoever was on the other end was causing him some concern.

"I know Kim; I know how much he means to you. I promise I'll keep you posted." Bulk assured her. "Tell Skull I'll stay with him until I know something. As soon as I do, I'll call you, I promise."

He hung up, and looked to Serena.

"Spike's step-mom." He explained. "She's never been great when Spike gets hurt. She's seriously protective."

"Sounds like my mom." Serena said with a little smile as she took a seat. Bulk looked at her a little curiously, seeing the smile on her face. Only a few minutes ago, she had been just as worried as he was about Spike, and clearly felt a little guilty about being the one to hurt him.

"What are you smiling about?" He asked her.

"Spike's in good hands." She told him. "He'll be fine."

"But what about..."

"He'll be fine." She reiterated. "I'm sure of it, he's tough."

She saw the way Bulk was fidgeting nervously, and reached to her wallet.

"Look, I'll be here if the doctors have anything to say." She assured him. "Why don't you go and get a snack or something?"

"But..."

"I'm serious." She told him. "I won't go anywhere, I promise."

With that, Bulk reluctantly left to go in search of the cafeteria, leaving Serena alone. Thinking about the day, she still felt badly about what happened to Spike, but she couldn't help her mind straying back to Peter and what she had heard. She couldn't keep herself from smiling.


	6. An Odd Delivery

Mia and Kevin arrived back at the Shiba House, parking up in the garage. It was a bit of a mixed day really. They were both happy that thanks to Mia's acting skills they had managed to recoup most of Kevin's money, and they were delighted that they had found a perfect engagement ring for Mia, but their second errand had not gone so well. When they got to the homeless shelter, they were told that they had a policy of only giving people accommodation on a night-to-night basis. The fact was there were a lot more homeless people than anyone really appreciated, so they couldn't afford to keep anyone on long-term. The upshot was that while Aaron had been there a couple of nights, he had since left, and being homeless, they really couldn't offer a suggestion where he might have gone.

Kevin looked to Mia, putting an arm behind her shoulders as she looked to the house regretfully. Part of him was happy Aaron was gone, indeed, given how much pain he had caused her, a part of him hoped that she would never see Aaron again. Unfortunately, Mia insisted that she wanted to see him and talk to him. She had things she really wanted to say to him, things she wanted to sort out before she could get on with her life, and her happiness was so important to Kevin, he was able to push aside his base instinct to curb-stomp Aaron into oblivion or to throw him out of town under pain of death, never to return.

"We'll find him." He assured her. "We found him once. I'm sure we can do it again."

"I really hope so." Mia sighed. "I hate him for what he's done to me, but we were close once, and no one deserves what's happened to him right?"

"You know, that's one of the things I love about you." He replied. "You have more reason to want to see him suffer than anyone, and you can still find compassion for him."

He moved a little closer, pressing his forehead to hers.

"Evan would have been lucky to have you as a mom." He told her. Mia just sniffed back a tear as she kissed him softly. "So...are you sure you don't want to put it on?"

"I want to do it properly." Mia told him. "I know we're only meant to contact our families if it's vital, but I think this qualifies. Besides, I wouldn't feel right if we didn't tell them first."

"I guess I wouldn't feel right either." Kevin answered. "You know, under normal circumstances, I would probably have taken you to meet my dad by now."

"Really?" She asked him.

"Yeah, once mom passed, he was my whole world." Kevin explained. "He was so much more than just my dad. He was my mentor, my friend, my brother...he did so much for me. I always hoped I could grow up to be half the man he is."

"I'd say you're managing just fine." Mia told him. "I know you're more than I ever dreamed of."

"So...we wait for now?" He asked her, a slight note of disappointment in his voice. He wanted nothing more than to tell all his friends, that he and Mia were ready to spend their lives together. However, he could also admit that like Mia, he really wanted to tell his dad first. It was just one of the disadvantages of their lives as Samurai Rangers. They had gone so far in their relationship with their families being largely oblivious to the fact.

"We have the rest of our lives together." Mia told him. "One more night isn't going to make a difference."

"I guess not." Kevin replied, taking the ring box from the glove compartment and putting it into his pocket. "So we call our parents and then..."

"Then we talk." Mia concluded. "Hey, I'm the Cinderella nut remember? I can't wait to tell them either."

"Alright then." He answered, kissing her softly. As they disembarked, though, Mia was body-checked into the side of the SUV by a little yellow blur, hugging her tightly. She looked down, seeing Emily holding onto her with an insane enthusiasm, before she grabbed Mia's hand.

"You're back you're back yay!" She screeched. "Come on, come on, let's..."

Her words tailed off as she finally got a look at Mia's left hand and realised she wasn't wearing a ring.

"Um...Antonio's made some nice pasta." Emily said. "It's really good..."

"She knows." Mia and Kevin chorused as they looked at each other.

"What tipped you off?" Mia asked her. Emily just shied away a little.

"I was...kind of in the garden when you guys were talking the other night." She admitted, carefully omitting the fact that Serena was also there. She was trying to get her sister to finally talk to Peter about how she felt. She was a hopeless liar, but if they didn't ask her about Serena, she could at least try to omit that part. She guessed they would want to tell the others themselves. "So...did you get it?"

"I picked out something I like." Mia assured her. "You'll see it when the others do."

As Kevin and Mia just walked inside, Emily just looked a little disappointed, and crossed her arms.

"I'm keeping your secret and I don't even get to see it?" She yelled. "No fair!"

Meanwhile, in the apartment above JKP, RJ came into the main room, carrying a tray with a bottle of Saki and a couple of little cups. He laid it down by Mentor Ji.

"I would offer you tea, but under the circumstances I guess you could probably do with something a little stronger." The Wolf Master began. Ji had placed the glowing blade of Urumasa on the table. He just nodded and smiled as he picked up the bottle and a glass.

"I talked to one of my friends in the freight depot. He's taking a ship out tomorrow." RJ told him. "He's going the right way. He's willing to take you and your bike, but the only way he can pass you through customs is as a member of his crew, so..."

"I always presumed this was a busman's holiday." Ji replied. "It's been a long time hasn't it?"

"Way too long." RJ agreed. "I think the last time I saw you was...the games!"

"Oh, don't remind me." Ji groaned. "I still can't believe I lost a tethered battle to Daggeron."

"Well, he is kind of good at it." RJ reminded him. "So...how are you finding your team?"

"You know, I really thought it would be a nightmare." Ji admitted. "After everything you and Kanoi went through, I was expecting to be bald with stress by now."

"So...no drama then?" He asked.

"Oh, we have our dramas." Ji chuckled. "I have two teenagers and four young adults. Of course there's drama. Not least of which was when they saw what I was like at their age."

"Yikes." RJ commented. While he was significantly younger than Ji, and had never known him during his 'wild days, he had heard plenty of stories. "I bet that was revealing."

"A little more than I would care to admit." Ji replied, pouring himself another glass. "How about here?"

"Sadly the drama doesn't stop when your town's big bad disappears." RJ told him. "I had to hire Gabby..."

"Phant's niece?" Ji asked him with a little smile. "I haven't seen her since she was a kid! She must be..."

"Nineteen." RJ said with a slight nod. "I had to take her on when Theo left."

"Theo was your Blue Ranger right?" Ji asked him. "What happened?"

"I'm afraid it's kind of my fault." RJ sighed. "He and Lily were an item at one point. They had been best friends for years, and they had been crushing on each other during that time, so they gave it a shot. Unfortunately they started experiencing...problems."

"Problems?" Ji asked him. "I thought they were best friends."

"They were, that was part of what made it all such a mess." RJ admitted. "It turns out that Theo was a better friend to her than a boyfriend. Once they were together, he started getting really possessive and jealous any time anyone got near her. She put up with it as best she could, but in the end, she just couldn't take it anymore, so she came to me."

"You mean..."

"It's not something I'm proud of." RJ admitted. "I tried to stay out of their business, I tried to remain her friend and let her sort things out with him, but eventually she moved back in here. That was pretty much all she wrote on that count, Theo took that as a sign I was taking her from him and left town."

"So...nothing happened while they were together?" Ji asked him.

"I tried not to let it." RJ told him. "If I'm honest, I've always liked Lily. I just respected what she and Theo had too much to do anything about it. But the way he was treating her, the way he made her feel...I just had to intervene. They were both my friends, I wanted them to be happy. I really wish it hadn't gone down like it did."

"I am afraid that hearts and heads rarely travel in the same direction." Ji told him. "I learned that long ago the hard way."

"Anyway, Theo went back to his family in Silver Hills, and Lily...she's still here." RJ told him. "We've been together about a year."

"I am sorry it cost you a friendship." Ji answered sympathetically. RJ just nodded as he downed a glass.

"So am I." He stated as he poured another glass. "So how's Jayden? I haven't seen him in ages."

"Every day he finds a way to make me proud in a way I could never imagine." Ji said with a smile. "He has grown into a fine young man. He even found someone that makes him happy."

"So who's the lucky boy?" RJ asked him. Ji just looked at him. "He did finally..."

"Yes, I just wasn't aware it was so obvious." Ji continued. "His name is Antonio. He is a little like Dominic, he has his moments that make you scratch your head, but they seem to bring out the best in each other."

"That's all we can hope for." RJ stated. "I always did want a family."

"I could think of few men that would make a better father." Ji complimented him, raising a glass. "So when do I meet the little lady?"

"She should be back soon." RJ told him, picking up the phone. "Until then, perhaps a little pizza would be appreciated?"

"You have no idea how I have craved one of your Seafood Delights." Mentor Ji replied a he settled onto the couch.

Meanwhile, Dayu was back in the Netherworld, sitting in a cave meditating. Although she and Urumasa had come to something of an understanding, it was still hard for them to communicate effectively. For millennia, the blade had only ever directly contacted its current master. It was something of a new experience for it to try and communicate with another, but it was accepting of its position. It had no idea where its master was, or what state he was in, only that he still lived, and wherever he was, it could not reach him without assistance. It was also weakened by the absence of the other part of itself. It needed its 'brother' to become whole again, and finally be able to call Dekker back to it.

Dayu on the other hand had bargained with the sword. She was reluctant to do so, she did not have the best track record with the bargains she made, but even if she was double-crossed by the daemonic blade, she would gladly accept death to see Dekker one more time. Her immortality was a curse; her love for Dekker was quite literally eternal. She had spent centuries pursuing him, knowing that he didn't even know him when he looked at her. Just being close to him was enough to dull the pain, but she wasn't sure anything would ever bring them together again. If all she could have was to have him alive, where she could see and talk to him, that was worth the risk. It wasn't like she had another soul to sell; there was nothing more that could be taken from her.

Her head jerked up as Urumasa started to hum.

"Ocean Bluff?" She whispered as she reached for her Harmonium. "I guess Dai Shi wasn't your biggest problem after all."

Back in the Shiba House, the Rangers were all sitting around, laughing and joking. While they were responsible enough never to abuse the trust Ji placed in them when he left, but that didn't mean things weren't a little more relaxed when 'daddy' wasn't home. The dishes had just been piled in the sink, and they were just enjoying some free time to just be young adults.

"So this guy says...the fish is kind of salty." Antonio continued with his story. "I felt like saying, 'No shit Sherlock, it comes from the sea!'"

The Rangers all laughed as they heard this. Mia and Kevin just cast a glance Emily's direction and smiled. They had another fun game going on that night. They knew that she was just itching to tell someone what she knew, but she never would as long as they kept their engagement under wraps. She was practically bouncing in her seat, eager to tell them all. It was so much fun to watch her squirm; it almost felt like it would be worth it not to tell the others just to watch her continue to suffer.

Just then, Serena arrived home, humming contentedly as she did so.

"I see someone's happy." Jayden commented. "How's the student?"

"He'll be fine." She told them. "It was only a mild concussion, and it was his first, so they're confident it shouldn't do any lasting damage."

She picked up a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass as she continued to grin.

"Bulk said something about him inheriting a hard head." She told them. "Apparently his dad took like eighty million shots to the head as a kid and didn't show any signs of brain damage."

"Well, we all have our childhoods I suppose." Mike commented. "I'm lucky I'm not a quadriplegic vegetable the amount of stupid shit I did as a kid."

"Just as a kid?" Antonio teased him. Mike just threw a pillow at him in response.

"Well, what he actually said is he didn't seem to get any dumber but..." She just shrugged. "The main point is Spike will be fine."

"I'm glad to hear it." Jayden told her. "You said on the phone he was wearing an old football helmet. Maybe you should borrow a little more equipment. Mentor has a ton of old armour sitting around..."

"Thanks Jayden, that would be great." She replied as she sat down, still humming and grinning.

"So you almost split a kid's head like a melon and you're happy?" Antonio asked her. "Wow, someone remind me not to piss her off."

"I think I know why she's in a good mood." Emily chipped in with a mischievous grin. "She was at the hospital most of the day..."

"Alright, that's enough squirt." Serena cut her off. "I'm just...happy Spike's not badly hurt alright?"

"That would be more relief than boundless joy." Mike interjected, getting a slightly evil look on his face. "So let's think. What else at the hospital could put you in such a good mood..."

"You know, I can and will bury you tree boy." She warned him.

"Sorry." Mike muttered as he backed down.

"So what? She likes Peter." Jayden chipped in. They all looked around at him in shock. Jayden just shrugged. "What? I'm gay, I'm not clueless."

"It has been kind of obvious." Antonio conceded as he looked back to Serena.

"Fine, yeah, I like the guy alright?" She asked them. "There, I've said it; can we leave it alone now?"

"Not unless you told him." Emily sniggered. "So...is that why you're so happy?"

"Not exactly." Serena admitted. "I kind of walked into the room when he was whacked out on meds."

"I remember some of your trips." Emily replied. "Once you said..."

"Anyway!" Serena called out, silencing her sister before she could reveal anything embarrassing. "He kind of started saying stuff...about me."

"So he told you he likes you back?" Jayden asked. Again everyone just looked at him. "Alright, I'm not overly emotional, that doesn't mean I don't notice stuff like that. The way he acted around her, the way he looked at her...it was pretty blatant really."

"He does have a point." Kevin commented, taking Mia's hand and nodding sagely. She just rolled her eyes. They didn't know yet that she knew about the engagement, but they were already starting to turn into one of those couples that just seemed to love telling everyone else the answers to their relationships just because they had been lucky enough to find 'the one'. "It was pretty obvious."

"Not that obvious apparently." Serena muttered. "Really? You all saw it?"

"Uh...kinda yeah." Antonio told her as they all nodded.

"So, have you said anything?" Emily asked. "I mean, you know he's into you right?"

"I guess..."

Just then, they heard a knock on the door. All of them looked to the door as Jayden checked his watch.

"We don't get visitors." Kevin remarked. "Who could that be?"

"Who would be calling at this time anyway?" Jayden asked. Mia and Kevin got up and went to the door.

Opening it, they found no one standing there.

"Huh?" Kevin grunted. "It's a bit far out for kids, not to mention the front gate and the fence are usually more hassle than they're worth to play..."

Just then, he heard a little cry. Both he and Mia looked down, seeing a basket sitting on the doorstep, with a baby inside. The baby was starting to cry out to attract attention. Kevin looked to Mia, hoping that this wouldn't upset her too much given what she had been through. She just bent down, picking up the basket and started to make soothing sounds, trying to calm it.

"So who was it?" Jayden asked as they came back in.

"Uh...it was more of a delivery than a visit." Mia commented as she came in. Emily just looked to them a little stunned.

"Is that...?"

"Someone left a baby on the doorstep." Mia interrupted her.

"Well, I guess we have to call child services." Mike replied. "I mean, she isn't ours..."

It was only then that Mia noticed something in her blankets. "Kevin, there's an envelope. Can you get it?"

He took it out, finding the Samurai crest embossed on it, together with Jayden's name written in fancy writing he couldn't recognise.

"It's addressed to Jayden." Kevin stated. Jayden took the envelope from him and started to read. As he read the note, his face dropped, and he had to read it again, and again. His wine glass slipped from his hand, shattering on the floor.

"What is it amigo?" Antonio asked, taking the note from him. He started to read, and suddenly realised why Jayden was so stunned.

"It isn't possible for me to take care of her any longer." He read aloud. "Here is your daughter Alexandra."

"Wait what?" Mike asked. "Your daughter? I guess someone didn't get the news letter. I'm guessing someone just wants to cash in, your family's pretty loaded..."

"It's not a hoax Mike." Jayden sighed. "She is my daughter."

"Say what now?" Kevin asked. "How...who...huh?"

"I think we'd all like to know." Antonio replied, giving Jayden a slightly withering look.


	7. Jayden's Explanation

The Rangers were all sitting around, staring at Jayden, hopeful for an explanation. The Red Ranger was holding his daughter, or at least, the baby that someone claimed was his daughter, gently in his arms, bobbing her gently. She had fallen asleep, and right now, he wanted to keep it that way.

"I guess you're all wondering..."

"She's your daughter?" Mia asked. "Who...how...?"

"I have no idea who the mother is." Jayden told them.

"Well surely..."

"I'm a virgin." He cut off Mike before he could say any more. "I've never...you know..."

"So should we call the Vatican or something?" Antonio asked a little bad-temperedly. He had every reason to be angry, only moments ago he'd had the bombshell dropped on him that his boyfriend had a kid that he hadn't spoken of. "Immaculate conception?"

"Alright, to understand this, you need to hear something that may be a little hard to digest." Jayden sighed. "I've been in the Shiba House my whole life..."

"Well it is your house." Kevin commented.

"Anyway, in that time...I've heard some things...conversations. You see, when you're a toddler, people tend to forget you're around."

"I think I'm getting a headache already." Serena muttered. "What about the baby?"

"As you all know, one of the responsibilities of the noble families was to preserve the bloodlines." He continued. "To ensure there was another generation to take over."

"Yeah, we all know that." Kevin replied.

"Anyway, as you know, in the past they used a number of methods to ensure the bloodlines were not broken." He continued. "Arranged marriages, courtesans..."

"Yeah, we get that." Mike stated. "That doesn't explain how you could have a baby without..."

"In the modern era, they started to employ more sophisticated means, they embraced certain...technology."

"Technology?" Emily asked him.

"All of you received a full medical before you came here right?" He asked them. They all nodded. "Well, as a safeguard in case we didn't come back, they took certain...samples...from us."

"Samples?" Mike asked. "You mean...?"

"Artificial insemination." Jayden concluded. "I have no idea who the girl's mother is, I'll probably never even meet her..."

"So you're saying that I could have a couple of dozen kids walking around out there and not even know about it?" Mike called out as he stood up. Jayden shook his head.

"This was only ever intended as a last resort, in case we didn't have kids of our own before we died." He told them. "If I was to hazard a guess, I'd say that someone used my sample when it became clear I would never have kids."

He turned to Antonio, who was looking angrier than he could ever remember seeing him. It was understandable really; he was just hearing this incredible story about how the man who had taken months to admit that he was even in a relationship was the father of a child.

"Look, this is as much a surprise to me as it is to you." He pleaded with them. "I never knew they had done this, please believe me!"

"So...someone made a baby using your little guys?" Emily asked him. "You don't even know who the mom is?"

"I have no idea." Jayden told them. "The noble clans had a number of families serving them. Any of them would have done it without a second thought."

"How do we even know this is your kid?" Kevin asked him "I mean...you have a big house, anyone could have seen that and tried..."

"The letter carried the Shiba Clan seal." Jayden reminded him. "That's only used in official correspondence about urgent Samurai business. No one else uses it."

"So...Alexandra really is yours?" Serena asked him. Jayden just nodded.

"Technically yes." He told her, looking down to the little girl in his arms. "She's mine alright." At that point, Antonio just got up and stormed out of the room.

"Antonio!" Jayden called after him. As he was about to get up and follow him, Alexandra started to cry. He looked around the room, hoping to think of some way he could get out of this situation, but the fact was his daughter needed him.

"I'll take her." Mia interjected, holding out her arms. "Just...go."

Jayden handed the baby to her, mouthing the words "thank you" as he did so, before following Antonio out of the room.

Over in Ocean Bluff, Lily came into the apartment, finding RJ and Ji laughing and joking. She just looked between the old friends and smiled.

"I guess I'm interrupting." She commented. "Hey, I'm Lily."

"Ji." He responded, shaking her hand, while looking to RJ. "You were right, she is quite a catch."

"So...old friend?" She asked. RJ just nodded as he downed another Saki.

"I've known Ji since I was about ten years old." He told her. "He's the mentor to the Samurai Rangers."

"You have your own team?" She sniggered, pouring herself a glass. "I don't envy you."

"It has been entertaining." He conceded as she sat down. "So...the zebra print pants...I'm guessing that's your idea?"

"Yeah." RJ replied. "It was kind of a marketing thing. Personally I like them."

"So are you a Ranger?" Lily asked Ji. "I mean, RJ resisted for a while..."

"I am afraid that will never be an option." Ji cut her off as he held up a hand. "My clan took a binding oath many centuries ago."

He downed his shot and poured himself another.

"Still, I have every confidence in my team." He told her. "Jayden has grown into a true Samurai. He finds new way to make me proud every day."

"Aw..." She replied.

"I plan to leave the country in the morning." He told her, unwrapping the fragment of Urumasa to show her. "RJ had been kind enough to get me passage on a ship."

"Well I hope it all goes well." Lily replied. "I remember Dom his the Control Dagger in a bench in a fast food place...that seems pretty lame now."

"Well, I plan on keeping this under wraps." He assured her. "Where I'm going, I doubt anyone will ever find it."

Back at the Shiba House, Jayden went out into the yard, finding Antonio sitting on a bench, tearing up grass.

"Will you rip my head off if I sit down?" Jayden asked him. Antonio just shrugged.

"It's a possibility I guess." He commented. Jayden just sat down next to him.

"This is as much a shock to me as it is to you." He stated, putting an arm around him. Antonio just shrugged it off sharply. "I didn't know either..."

"How could you not know?" Antonio asked him. "I mean...you had to be an active participant in the whole process..."

"I made a donation." Jayden sighed. "I never knew they'd actually use it."

"How could you not know?" Antonio snapped as he looked to him. Jayden just shook his head.

"I guess it just kind of slipped my mind..."

"Slipped your mind?" Antonio spat angrily "You have a baby!"

"What do you want me to say Antonio?" Jayden asked him. "I'm sorry!"

"You just don't get it do you?" Antonio asked him. "I've always respected the fact we're different."

"Antonio..."

"Do you have any idea how it is being an out gay kid in High School?" He asked him. "Do you have any idea how many swirlies I got? How many times I got my ass handed to me by the football team?"

"Antonio..."

"I know you only came out recently, I get that!" He barked. "I'm not saying...shit...I don't know what I'm saying!"

"Then try." Jayden begged him. "What are you pissed off about?"

"You never told me!" Antonio snapped. "I love you Jayden, I love you more than I can say, but..."

He just broke down and wept as he was about to say it. Jayden just put his arm around him.

"I'm sorry, I should have said something." Jayden sighed. "This whole thing, the way I feel about you, the whole gay thing...this is all new to me."

"But you knew about the donation thing." Antonio interrupted him. "Jayden, I get that we come from different worlds. I did everything I could to become a Samurai..."

"Antonio..."

"For you!" He stated, taking Jayden's hand. "I did all of it for you."

"Antonio..."

"Please, let me finish." He said as he moved closer. "I ..."

"I trusted you." Antonio put down flatly.

"I know, and I'm sorry." Jayden sighed. "I know it's not worth much now, but I'm sorry."

"Sorry because I found out?" Antonio asked. "Sorry because..."

"I'm sorry you got hurt." Jayden replied, placing a hand behind Antonio's head. "I knew this might happen, but I pushed it aside because...because I love you too much."

"Do you have any idea how lame that sounds?" Antonio asked him.

"It sounds lame, but it's the truth." Jayden told him, squeezing his hand. "I swear to you, I've never loved anyone the way I love you."

With that, Jayden pressed his lips to Antonio's. He lost himself in the feeling as they kissed, before parting from him and looking him in the eyes.

"I have no idea how to raise a kid." Jayden told him. "I'll need help..."

"I'll be there." Antonio assured him as he kissed him again passionately. Neither of them had ever expected to have this problem, but now they knew they did they were facing it together.

Over in Ocean Bluff, Dayu appeared from a gap between the bricks of a warehouse and stood, looking out over the city.

"So your 'brother' is here?" She asked. "I will flush it out."

As she pulled out the short sword from her Haronium, she was kicked hard, tumbling over a ledge. Landing hard, she found it hard to breathe, but she heard someone landing not far from her.

"Get up!" She heard the stranger bark angrily.

Meanwhile, back at the Shiba House, Kevin found Mia in a side room, humming a lullaby to Alexandra. He couldn't help admiring the scene, imagining that one day, perhaps she would replicate it with their own child.

"I thought this would be hard for you." He commented. "I mean...given what happened..."

"It is hard." Mia replied as she looked down to the sleeping child. "But when a child is involved, your own insecurities and concerns just kind of...melt away you now?"

"So you're alright with this?" Kevin asked her. She just shook her head.

"I'm not alright, but I'll cope." She clarified. "She's depending on us."

"I definitely made the right choice." He stated as he came over, wrapping his arms around Mia. "You're the most amazing person I've ever met, and nothing will make me happier than to marry you."

Mia just wrapped her arms around him in response and kissed him passionately.

"I love you." She whispered as she pressed her forehead to his.

"I love you too." He replied as he pulled her close, hugging her tightly.

Back in Ocean Bluff, Dayu was scattered to the ground again by yet another harsh blow from her mystery assailant. He stalked her intently from the shadows.

Just then, a purple beam came down, shattering the asphalt and shortly afterwards, the Wolf Ranger landed in a crouched position, facing Dayu.

"I have no business with you." She stated, coughing up some blood as she started to get up.

"We'll see about that." RJ replied. "Beat it!"

"Sorry, but I can't." She replied. Before he could say anything else, RJ was scythed down from behind by a harsh blow. He screamed out in agony as he fell to his knees, unable to stand before he was kicked to the ground.

"I'll let you two sort this out." Dayu said sarcastically as she disappeared into a gap. As he started to try and pull himself up, RJ saw a man in a blue jump suit before him.

"Theo?" He asked. The stranger just nodded before disappearing into the night.


	8. Baby Shopping

**A/N:** I've been away from my computer for a while, so apologies to anyone whose reviews I haven't replied to. It wasn't anything intentional.

RJ came back into JKP, limping a little as a result of his fight with Dayu. Lily and Mentor Ji were quickly by his side as he made his way inside.

"RJ!" Lily called out as they started to help him over to the couch. "Are you alright?"

"I'll be fine." RJ assured them. "Trust me, I've felt worse."

"So...what happened?" Ji asked him.

"I think it's pretty safe to say your friend Dayu's in town." RJ commented. "If I was to hazard a guess, I'd say that she's here looking for that."

He pointed to the table, where the fragment of Urumasa was sitting, wrapped in cloth. Mentor Ji just sighed regretfully. RJ had gone out into the city in response to an alarm, but now that he knew it was Dayu that had attacked him, he felt more than a little guilty. It was one of his enemies that had hurt him. RJ's Ranger days should have been over with. Sure, occasionally the Jungle Fury team occasionally use their powers to help out the emergency services when they could, but on the whole, they had retired from active duty. It was pretty much Ji's fault that she had shown up in town.

"I am sorry to bring this trouble to your doorstep my friend." He said regretfully. "I would never have wanted you to get hurt."

"It's quite alright." RJ commented. "To be honest though, another complication has shown up."

"What now?" Lily grumbled.

"Theo showed up." RJ told her. "He was the one that did this."

"Theo's back?" Lily asked him. "Why did he attack you?"

"I think I just got in the way." RJ told them both. "Dayu seemed to already be in the middle of a battle when I got there. I think I just got caught in the cross-fire. Unfortunately, she used the distraction to get away."

"I can't believe he's back." Lily breathed as she looked away in shock. "I need to..."

"Lily, I know how badly you feel about what happened to him." RJ said as he put his arm around his girlfriend, holding her to him. "But I really would advice against that. You know the last time we saw him things got a little heated."

"I know that RJ, but I really doubt he would hurt me." Lily stated. "I really think we need to find him. I owe it to him..."

"I just don't want you to risk getting hurt again." RJ interrupted her. He could see that Lily was determined in her assertion that she was going to find him. Although their break up had taken its toll on her, she had been his friend for a number of years before they got together. He knew it was important to her to try and talk to him. "Look, he already attacked me. Maybe rubbing his face in what happened is only going to enflame the situation. I really don't think you should try and talk to him alone."

"Yeah, because talking to him together is really going to appease him." Lily said sarcastically. "If I know Theo, he's probably still looking for Dayu. That means he'll be in town for a while."

She pulled out her cell phone and hit speed dial, getting up and starting to leave the room. RJ looked back to Mentor Ji.

"In the meantime, I think it's best for you to be ready to leave." RJ told him. "I'm calling my friend in the shipping yard to see if he can move up your departure time. I think it's for the best if you leave the country as soon as possible."

"I fear that you may be right." Mentor Ji replied. "I'll be ready to leave as soon as your friend is ready to depart."

Meanwhile, the Samurai Rangers were just going into a store to pick up some supplies for Alexandra. She had been quite literally dumped on the doorstep, with only the clothes she was wearing, and the carrier she was strapped into, meaning they had some things to buy for her. There weren't many stores still open that carried much in the way of what they needed, but they had finally found a department store that was still open.

"Alright, which way to the baby stuff?" Antonio asked. Mia just looked up to the roof, where signs were hanging down, marking each of the aisles.

"Food, diapers and clothes are over there." Mia told them, pointing to one of the aisles. "Furniture is over this way."

"Right, we should only get what we need for a couple of nights. We can shop for more stuff later." He told them. "I figure maybe one pack of diapers, one tin of formula..."

He just saw the way Mia and Serena were looking at him in disbelief.

"What?" He asked.

"You have no idea do you?" Mia asked him.

"Hey, I might have been young, but I still remember how much stuff Emily went through." Serena confirmed. "She might be small, but it'll amaze you how much she'll eat."

"And how many diapers she'll go through." Mia continued. "Not to mention she'll need some outfits, because diapers don't always catch it all..."

"Alright, so we need more stuff than I thought." Jayden sighed. "Tell you what, I'll get the crib and you guys get what you think she'll need."

"Alright, but you'll need to learn this stuff eventually." Mia reminded him. She took the carrier from him, being careful not to wake Alexandra. "OK, she doesn't have an umbilical cord, so that says she's at least two months old, but I wouldn't say as much as six. That'll help us get the right food."

"Alright, we'll meet you at the register." Jayden told them. "Come on Mike, you can come with us."

As they split off, Kevin, Mia, Emily and Serena went to the aisle to look for clothes and food for Alexandra. Kevin couldn't help being impressed with how Mia was coping. He knew that for a long time after Evan had passed, she found it hard to be around kids. It only reminded her what she had lost. However, when Alexandra arrived, Mia was the one who had taken charge, and seemed to be in control of the situation.

"Alright, the formula's here." Mia remarked. "Serena, can you look out some lotion and baby wipes?"

"Sure." Serena answered.

"Emily...?"

"Baby clothes, baby clothes!" She started to chant, rushing down the aisle excitedly. Kevin just laughed, seeing the youngest Ranger's excitement at the situation.

"Well, I guess we know someone's happy." He commented.

"You have to understand, this is pretty exciting for her." Mia reminded him. "This is probably the first time there's been a baby in the family that she was old enough to appreciate."

"You know, you really are amazing." Kevin told her. "I can't wait till we make this official."

"Neither can I." Mia agreed, pulling him in and kissing him softly. "I just wouldn't feel right if we didn't tell our families first."

"Well, I guess we can have our own fun in the meantime." Kevin commented. "You can tell it's really eating Emily up not being able to talk about it."

"Yeah, she is fun to tease." Mia agreed as she piled formula into the shopping cart. "But I think Alexandra's a bigger distraction for her right now."

"I think she'll be a huge distraction for all of us." Kevin commented.

Over in the furniture aisle, Jayden and Antonio were looking at cribs, trying to pick one out. Jayden was looking at the shelf adverts, trying to weigh up his options. He still didn't really know what he was looking for, so he was going by the manufacturer's descriptions, looking for one that had good safety ratings, but that also looked comfortable.

"Jeez, is that a barcode or the price?" Mike remarked. "These things are only made of wood right?"

"I have a feeling a lot of this stuff is going to be expensive." Antonio answered as he gestured to the prams. "Have you seen how much the prams cost?"

"It's just as well the Shiba Clan are footing the bill." Mike said with a little scowl on his face. "I don't know how anyone's expected to afford all this stuff on a normal wage."

"When was the last time you had a job?" Antonio asked him.

"Still, I think it might be a false economy to skimp on the important stuff right now." Jayden said as he looked to another advert. "I mean, she is going to need this stuff for quite a while right?"

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't help noticing you seem to be having some trouble." A young sales assistant said as she interjected herself into the conversation. "I'm Amanda. Would you like a hand?"

"That would be really good." Jayden sighed in relief as she came across. "I was kind of looking at this one..."

"Ah, you're making the usual mistake of thinking that the most expensive one is the best." She interrupted him.

"But it has the best safety rating..."

"That's the manufacturer's advertising." She reminded him. "Do you really think they're going to say it's overpriced?"

"I guess not." He agreed.

"Alright, I don't get many returns with this one." She told him, showing him another crib. "It's a good sturdy construction, and it's really comfortable too. It can also be rocked really easily, kids seem to love it."

"That sounds pretty much perfect." Jayden said with a little smile. "Mike, help me with this box."

"How hard is it to put together?" Mike asked the assistant. "I don't have the best of records with flat pack furniture."

"Mike, I managed to do all of Ji's flat pack furniture." Jayden reminded him. "And I'm sure a crib shouldn't be too much hassle for Antonio."

"Wow, it sounds like you have a pretty full house." Amanda commented.

"Trust me, you have no idea." Jayden remarked as he and Mike hefted the box from the shelf, beginning to make their way towards the register. "The girls should have the stuff by now."

As they left, Amanda just shook her head in disbelief.

"Wow, that is one odd family." She commented. "I thought I'd seen everything in this job."

Back in Ocean Bluff, Lily came back into the room, still talking on the phone.

"Look, thanks for talking to me." She sighed. "I promise we'll try and find him."

As Lily hung up the phone, she looked to RJ sadly.

"According to Luan, Theo never went to Silver Hills." She told him. "He hasn't seen him in months."

RJ knew that couldn't have been an easy conversation for her. While Lily and Luan had been good friends at one time, the fact was that the break up had hurt Theo dreadfully. While Luan didn't really want to choose sides and lose a friend, the fact was when the chips were down, Theo was family. It was only inevitable that he chose Theo over her in the end, just another thing that had hurt about the whole thing.

"So he's been here all along?" RJ asked her. She just nodded her head.

"It seems so." She told him. "I can't believe he never left. I thought he was going home to his family. So he's been somewhere alone all this time?"

"I'm sorry to hear that too." RJ told her. "If we'd known, I'd have tried to make peace with him."

Mentor Ji had just finished gathering up his possessions, and looked to RJ and Lily.

"I'm really sorry that I have to cut my visit so short." He told him. "You don't mind me leaving my bike here do you?"

"We'll give you a ride in the jeep." RJ told him. "My friend secured an earlier cast off time. He'll be leaving the port in an hour."

"We'll go with you as far as the docks." Lily told him. "That would probably be safest."

RJ picked up his keys from the desk, and tossed them to Lily.

"Alright, let's get going." He announced. "The less time we give Dayu to regroup the better."

Back at the Shiba House, Emily was sitting, admiring Alexandra in her carrier while Jayden, Mike and Antonio were busy trying to put together the crib. Mia and Kevin meanwhile were at the computer, researching sited about baby health care to ensure they were all prepared for whatever was to come.

"We're going to have to register her with a paediatrician." Mia told them as she checked out some sites. "Do you think the mom will have gotten all the appropriate shots for her?"

"I can't imagine someone will have gone to all the effort of delivering a baby only to let her get sick." Mike suggested with a shrug. "Hang on, won't the doctor find it strange that we don't have any of her documents?"

"Her birth certificate and health records were in the envelope." Jayden told them as a section of the crib he was trying to assemble put up more resistance than he was expecting. "Damn thing!"

"So much for knowing your way around a flat pack." Mike teased him. Jayden just glared at the Green Ranger, before looking back to the instructions.

"This all looks right." Jayden remarked. "Look, maybe we should let her sleep in the carrier for tonight and start again in the morning when we can use power tools."

"That sounds like an idea to me." Mike sighed.

"Aw...you mean sweet little Alex isn't even going to have a proper crib on her first night?" Emily asked with a little pout. "I feel so bad for her. How do you think she's going to feel...?"

"Emily, she's not even six months old." Antonio reminded her. "She probably won't even remember anything about what happens to her for another few years."

"Auntie Emily just thinks your daddies are being mean." Emily whispered to her. "You just..."

At that, Alexandra started to stir and scream. With the exception of Mia and Serena, the only two that had any experience of being around kids, they all looked astonished at the racket she was making.

"OK, now that's disturbing." Mike remarked, screwing up his face. "What does she want?"

"Um...I think I know." Emily answered as she pinched her nose, recoiling away from the baby a little.

"OK, is that even natural?" Jayden asked as he got closer to the baby, finally appreciating how truly awful the smell was.

"Jayden, you'll hurt her feelings!" Emily chastised him.

"Um...Mia, you know about this stuff..."

"Hey, you're the daddy." Mia told him. "Don't you think you should learn to deal with this kind of thing?"

"Yeah, I mean you are going to have to deal with it a lot." Kevin added. "She is technically your responsibility."

"Please, just..." He looked to Mike.

"Uh, not even a chance dude." Mike told him.

"Emily?"

"Nope." She said with a little smirk, seeing how uncomfortable Jayden was with this situation. "Mia's right, you'll have to learn."

"Serena, please. I'll pay you..."

"Not a chance." She said, shaking her head with a slightly evil smile on her face. "I plan for it to be quite some time before I need to change my kids."

"Come on Jayden, it's time to bond with your daughter." Antonio told him. Jayden just looked around at the others, sighing deeply as he picked up a changing mat and a packet of diapers.

"You guys suck." He grumbled as he took her into another room. "Come on Alex."


	9. Parenthood

In Ocean Bluff, RJ, Lily and Dom were driving Mentor Ji towards the harbour. Ji regretted bringing one of his problems to his friends' doorstep; it wasn't fair that they had to deal with Dayu.

As they pulled up to the water-front, RJ handed Ji an amulet.

"I am afraid that this is as far as we can take you." He told him. "But I have this for you."

Ji took it, looking at it curiously. He could feel some energy coming from it, supernatural energy of some description. He just looked to RJ.

"The Ancient Masters created this centuries ago." He explained. "It works in conjunction with a person's animal spirit to allow them to obfuscate their presence to supernatural surveillance. I do not know if it will work as effectively with your symbol power, but hopefully it should help you put some distance between yourself and Dayu. It should hopefully make your journey a little easier."

"Thank you my friend." Ji replied, shaking his hand. "You have already done more than I could have asked you to."

Just then, Ji saw some gaps beginning to glow. He gathered up his belongings, and leapt from the jeep, followed closely by RJ. Dayu appeared before them, gripping the head of her Harmonium.

"I fear that we may just have a farewell party before I go." Ji commented.

"Indeed, but I see you brought some assistance." Dayu replied. "I guess you won't mind that I found some others I could 'convince' to even the odds."

As Moogers started to spill out into the dock, he looked to RJ regretfully. He knew that Dayu was powerful, even without Master Xandred's sanction; she could easily threaten them and cow her to her will. Clearly, she had learned her lesson from the first time she had tried to find him and realised he had support here.

"Leave it to us." RJ told him as Lily and Dom joined him. "Just get to the ship. It's vital you get out of here."

"There are too many." Ji told him. "I must stay and..."

"It's not exactly our first dance." Dom reminded him, activating his Rhino Morpher bracelet, converting it to the Rhino Blade. "If you don't get that blade out of here, then it won't matter what we do."

"Alright." He replied regretfully, placing the amulet around his neck, and tucking it into his shirt. It was not in Ji's nature to run away from a fight and leave his friends to face trouble alone, but all he could think about was what RJ had said. If he stayed, it would only increase the odds that Dayu would regain the fragment.

"Jungle Beast, Spirit Unleashed!" The former Jungle Fury Rangers called out, transforming for battle.

"More Rangers?" Dayu gasped as she saw them. She recognised the Wolf Ranger from when she had seen him earlier. "Where do you keep crawling from?"

"So says the woman that literally springs out of gaps." Dom commented. "Alright Ji, go!"

As the only one with no Ranger powers, Ji knew that they were right, and that he should just run for the ship. He broke into a run, the hidden blade springing from his sleeve as Moogers made their way to intercept.

"Alright, let's provide some cover!" RJ said to Dom as Ji started to carve himself a path. RJ laid down some wolf beams, while Dom converted the Rhino Blade to blaster mode and helped him. Seeing Dayu make a move, Lily leapt to intercept her with the Jungle Bo.

Ji knew that although the battle was raging behind him, he couldn't afford to stop to look back to his friends. Hearing a foghorn, he realised that the ship was leaving. Obviously the crew had seen the battle on the shore and decided that it was not safe to remain.

Continuing to sprint, his path being cleared by purple and white blasts, he ran up some crates, leaping for all he was worth. He stretched out, retracting the hidden blade as he caught the edge of the ship with one hand, dangling over the side. He managed to swing himself up, landing on the deck over the railing. He looked up, seeing a crew member standing over him.

"You're Ji I take it?" He asked.

"I apologise for the manner of my arrival." Ji told him as he accepted a hand to his feet. "I figured that you would not wish to wait around."

Back on the shore, Dayu dashed Lily to the ground with her short sword, but was only just in time to see Ji pulling himself over the side. She would have run to catch the ship, but Lily tripped her, before hauling herself back to her feet.

"NO!" She cried out, realising that she would not be able to catch Ji in time. She could already tell that this battle was going to be harder than she had expected. She sprang to her feet, pulling a couple of darts from her robes. "You will regret getting in my way Ranger!"

Over in the Shiba House, Jayden was still struggling with Alexandra on the changing mat. He couldn't believe how involved the whole process was. He had already removed the diaper, recoiling in horror at the contents within as he held it at arm's length with one hand, while he held her legs up with the other.

"God, all you eat is milk right?" He grumbled as he placed the diaper aside carefully. He wrapped it as carefully as he could, hoping that none of the horrendous stuff would get out onto the table, and reaching for the baby wipes. He had to fumble a little with the box, operating as he was with one hand.

"God, maybe I could do with more hands." He grumbled. Just then, the Lion Zord burst into life, flying onto the table. It opened the carton, pulling out a wipe with its mouth and handing it to Jayden. He smiled at it.

"At least someone's helping me." He commented. He started to wipe her down, taking some time over it to make sure she was properly cleaned. He then went for the powder, remembering one of Mia's internet articles mentioning something about leaving the baby damp being a bad thing. He dusted her lightly as she started to squirm.

"Hey, it's my first time." He told her. "I'm just figuring all this out, give me a chance would you?"

He then got out the diaper. He took a moment to figure out which way round it was meant to go on, before finally getting it. He laid her down on it, beginning to bind it around her, at which she started to smile at him.

"Well, I'm a little happier too." He admitted as he picked up the old diaper, placing it carefully in the disposal bag and placing it in the trash. He picked her up, giving her a little smile. Unfortunately, after only a second, the diaper fell off. He looked down on it and sighed.

"Alright, let's try this..." At that point, she decided she needed to go number one. Jayden just watched her, seeing the innocent little grin on her face as she finished soaking the area.

"Perfect." He groaned as he started to clean up. "Let's try this again shall we?"

Back in Ocean Bluff, Lily was finding herself under pressure as Dayu attacked her in revenge for preventing her pursuing Mentor Ji. She found herself blasted through a stack of crates.

"Lily!" RJ called out as he saw his girlfriend landing in a heap, buried under debris. He started trying to rush over to her, but there were too many Moogers in the way. He could only watch as Dayu approached her fallen body, the short-sword held tightly in her hand.

Just before she got there though, the blue Jaguar Spirit raced into view, smashing into Dayu and sending her flying. Theo arrived a moment later, and began to rain down harsh blows with his Jungle Tonfa. Dayu managed to kick him away, but she decided that the battle had run its course. Ji was gone, and so was the fragment of Urumasa. She disappeared into a gap, leaving the Moogers to face their fate without her.

Dom and Theo made quick work of what was left of the Moogers, while RJ went to check on Lily. He helped her to sit up, as she cradled the back of her head.

"Are you alright?" He asked her. She just groaned.

"I got my bell rung pretty badly." She answered as she looked to where Theo was standing staring at them, still morphed. "Theo?"

He continued to look at them for a moment, before turning away.

"Theo." RJ called out, de-morphing as he helped Lily up. "Thank you."

The Blue Ranger didn't answer though, instead just leaping away into the night. Lily and RJ just watched him go as Dom came to their side.

"Well...that was awkward." He stated.

"We know he's in town somewhere." RJ assured Lily. "Maybe in time we can convince him to stop running and listen to us."

"I just wish he wasn't hurting so badly." Lily told him, stroking the back of her head. "Speaking of hurting..."

"Yeah, maybe we should go home and look at that." RJ interrupted her. "Dom, would you drive?"

The next morning in the Shiba House, Emily, Mia, Kevin and Mike were just coming into the main room, dressed on their training uniforms and ready to begin training, and found Jayden and Antonio already up. Jayden was carrying Alexandra around, bobbing her gently and rubbing her back. A milk bottle was on the table nearby, while Antonio was sitting at the table, an energy drink in his hand. Both of them looked decidedly tired.

"Hey guys." Mia commented, seeing them. "Early start?"

"Little Miss Alarm Clock there decided that sleep was over rated." Antonio grumbled as he gestured to Alexandra. "You should have heard her. I seriously think we can write off any problems with her lungs."

"Aw, I'm sure she couldn't have been that loud." Emily cooed, looking to the baby.

"I just fed her." Jayden told them. "I just need to burp her, then we can strap her into the carrier to sleep for a little while and start training."

"So...have you called Mentor Ji yet?" Kevin asked him. Jayden just glared at him.

"Now when exactly have I had the time to do that?" He questioned him in response. "I figured I could call him after training before we get started on the crib again."

"Well, we have important calls to make too." Mia said, giving Kevin a knowing look. He couldn't help smiling as she said this. They had agreed that they wouldn't tell the others about their engagement before they had a chance to tell their parents. While contact with their families and friends was normally prohibited, they had a feeling that no one would mind them calling their parents about something so important. "But I think we can help you with the crib after that."

"Oh, oh, oh, can I help too?" Emily called out, beginning to bounce with excitement.

"Yeah, letting you loose with power tools, that sounds like a great idea." Mike commented as he put an arm around her.

"Whatever, I'm sure you can all chip in." Antonio groaned as he pounded the last of his energy drink. "Now, maybe we should get started before I start to crash."

Serena came into the room, humming a little tune contentedly as she gathered her coat.

"Well someone's happy." Emily commented, seeing her sister and smiling.

"I'm heading to the hospital." She told them all with a little grin. Antonio just looked to her.

"I never knew someone who was so happy going to see someone whose skull they nearly caved in with a shinai." He remarked.

"He was wearing a helmet." She replied with a shrug. She still did feel badly about the fact Spike had gotten hurt training, especially since she knew that she was at fault for hitting him excessively hard, but she still couldn't keep her mind off what else had happened at the hospital. She had gone to see Peter when he was on heavy medication, and not completely lucid. She had heard him muttering something that she couldn't believe she had heard. He had said that he liked her.

The nurse had explained that sometimes when people were on powerful anaesthetics as he had been, sometimes their higher cognitive functions relaxed, and they would start to say things they normally wouldn't. She had been finding herself crushing on the guy for some time; it was only her belief that he would never be interested in her that prevented her from saying anything. Now though, she was beginning to think that perhaps it would be worth taking a chance.

"I guess being accident prone runs in the family." Mike chuckled as he looked to her. "Just try not to do any more damage than you've already done."

"I'll try not to." She replied, giving Mike a little glare. "Anyway, like I said, I'll be back later."

She left, leaving the rest of them behinds. Jayden finally managed to burp Alexandra, and laid her down, but as he did so, he felt something wet running down his back. He saw a little dribble on her chin and sighed, looking for another baby wipe.

"We'll just start without you." Mike replied, scrunching his nose as he saw the stain running down the back of his training jacket. "Come on guys."

"I'll keep an eye on her until you get back." Mia told him. Jayden just looked to Alexandra, who smiled at him innocently.

"Why do I get the feeling you're going to do that to get away with everything?" He groaned as he took of his jacket, throwing it into the laundry basket and making his way to his room.


	10. Hospitals are Emotional Places

Serena arrived in Spike's room, carrying a box of cupcakes covered in vanilla frosting, with a small, stuffed panda under her left arm. She was still smiling, and had a little bounce in her step. It was kind of an odd sensation. She still felt genuinely badly about the fact that Spike had been hurt, but at the same time, she couldn't help thinking about what she had heard Peter saying. He was so heavily medicated when she had gone into his room that he was just babbling, but he had said something that gave her hope that perhaps telling him how she felt about him wouldn't be a waste of time.

As she got into the room, she found Spike sitting up on the bed, talking on the cell phone, while Bulk sat in the corner, looking a little uncomfortable. Given the look on his face, whoever he was talking to was far from happy.

"I'm telling you mom, I'm fine!" Spike told her. "No, I know they don't perform a CAT scan for nothing, but the test was all clear. They only held me overnight to be on the safe side!"

She could hear a garbled sound from the door, and winced. Whoever he was talking to was VERY unhappy. They were yelling so loud that he had to hold the phone away from his ear. He saw her as he did so.

"Hey Serena." He greeted her, before turning back to the phone. "Mom, I'll be fine. I'm being sent home in an hour...Serena just walked in...no she's not my girlfriend, she's my sensei..."

He held the phone away from his ear again as the loud noise became even more deafening. She could even make out a few words, and most of them were far from appropriate for polite conversation.

"Mom...Kim...I...alright." He stammered, before looking to Serena and holding the phone her way. "My step-mom wants to talk to you."

Serena just sucked her teeth as she came across, putting her gifts down on Spike's bed. She took the phone reluctantly. While she wasn't a mom herself, she had dealt with enough people who had bullied Emily as a kid that she could guess what was coming. She held the phone to her ear.

"Hello, Mrs. Skullovitch..." She began.

"So you're the one that tried to bash my step-son's brains in?" An enraged voice on the other end screamed at her. "What the hell did you think you were doing? He's a fifteen-year-old kid!"

"I'm sorry, it was an accident..."

"Do you make a habit of "accidentally" smashing people over the head with bamboo canes?" Kimberly interrupted her sharply.

"It was a shinai." Serena corrected her. "We were training..."

"I know what a bloody shinai is; my first boyfriend was a black belt in four Martial Arts!" Kimberly continued to rant. "The difference is, he was an accredited, licensed, professional instructor!"

"I can assure you I'm perfectly qualified." Serena replied. "I'm sorry Spike got hurt, but I'm sure even your ex accidentally hurt someone he was training with once in a while..."

"Yes, but he had liability insurance!" Kimberly screamed. "What would you have done if you had left him brain damaged? What if you had damaged his neck?"

"Mrs. Skullovitch..."

"I was a gymnast! I took a head injury when I was a teenager! My neck still hurts at times...!"

"Mrs. Skullovitch please, I assure you I feel awful about this." Serena told her. "I'm qualified to teach him, I assure you."

"Well it's only the fact that he's alright that's stopping me from getting on a plane right now and smashing YOUR head in with a shinai!" Kimberly screamed. "Now, put Spike back on the line!"

She just shakily handed the phone back to Spike, her hest feeling like it was in a vice. She always did feel badly about Spike being hurt, but getting chewed out by his step-mother made her feel a whole lot worse. He took the phone back.

"Mom...Kim..." He continued. "Yes, I'll do whatever the doctor says, but..." He took a deep breath. "Mom, you aren't here, you don't know Serena. She's a great teacher. Uncle Bulk and I are learning so much from her..."

There was more garbled complaining, and he sighed again.

"Mom, I'm serious. She's great, and I want to keep up with the lessons." He told her. "I've never done anything that made me feel like I could be good at anything, but this...it makes me feel good about myself."

He smiled as she said something in response.

"Yeah, I know you'd have preferred it if it could have been gymnastics, but we both know how that turned out." He told her. "I love you too mom."

With that, he hung up, before turning to Serena.

"I'm sorry about that." He told her. "My step-mom can be kind of scary when she's angry."

"Kim's a real momma bear when it comes to Spike." Bulk assured her. "She only sent him out here because I'm the only one she'd trust to take care of him."

"Well, I really am sorry about the head." Serena told him. "Here, I got you a little something."

"Hey, it looks like Sammy has a playmate!" Spike yelled excitedly, picking up the panda and hugging it, before looking to the box a little further away. "Cupcakes!"

"With vanilla frosting." She assured him with a smile. "Your uncle told me that was your favourite."

"Thanks!" He screeched, opening the box and taking one out. He offered it to Serena, who just held up a hand.

"Uh...it's a bit early for me." She told him. "But you knock yourself out."

As Spike dove into the first cupcake enthusiastically, the doctor came in, seeing them all in the room.

"Alright Mr. Skullovitch, we're about ready to discharge you now." The doctor told him, before seeing Serena. "Oh, are you family?"

"No, I'm kind of the one that gave him that headache." Serena replied a little sheepishly.

"She's my sensei." Spike mumbled out through a mouthful of cupcake. The doctor just sighed and shook his head, taking this as an acknowledgement that it was alright to discuss his medical condition in front of Serena.

"Alright, feel free to take mild headache pills if you feel any pain, and don't hesitate to come back if you feel light-headed or have any blurred vision." The doctor told him. "I'd recommend you refrain from exercise for the next couple of days, but other than that, if you don't feel any symptoms after three days, I'd say you're all clear."

"Thanks doctor." Bulk replied, shaking his hand. "I'll make sure he takes it easy."

He gave Serena a little look, before leaving that made her feel about three inches tall. Although Spike had referred to her as his "sensei", the fact was he wasn't wearing the correct safety equipment, and there were a lot of people coming in with injuries as a result of trying to emulate the Rangers. It did look to an outsider a lot like Spike was one of those, and Serena looked to be what most would consider to be old enough to know better. Bulk started to gather up Spike's things.

"Alright Spike, I'll call a cab." He told his nephew. "Just...don't eat all the cupcakes."

As he left, Spike turned back to Serena.

"I meant it you know." He told her. "Uncle Bulk's great and all, but since I started training with you..."

"Spike, it's only been a couple of weeks." Serena told him. "And I've already sent you to the Emergency Room."

"Yeah, but I'm already doing stuff I didn't know I could." He assured her. "You're a great sensei."

"Well, the good news is I can get my hands on more of the proper equipment." Serena replied, remembering Jayden's offer. "So hopefully this'll be your last visit here."

"I doubt it." Spike sniggered. "But thanks. I know you feel guilty, but it was an accident."

"It's good to hear you say it though." Serena replied, hugging him. "Now, wrap up those cup cakes, and get ready. Your taxi should be here soon."

Over at the Shiba House, the Rangers were all training hard. Jayden was at the side of the mats, doing light work outs and kata. Although he had abandoned the sling, needing both hands to deal with the newest addition to his life, he still had to take it easy for a little while longer as he healed.

Antonio, Mike and Mia were involved in a multi-way combat, while Emily was working with Kevin, taking advantage of his greater skill to get pointers on her sword work. Jayden ran through a sword kata, slowly so as not to aggravate his shoulder as he strengthened it, while he kept an eye on the Rangers, and also on Alexandra. She was quite content for the moment, sleeping in the shade of the porch quite soundly.

To think about it, he was still amazed to think that he was now a father. He had, like everyone, considered the possibility when he was younger, and he had known about the fail-safe that had been put in place in case anything happened to the Rangers, but until she had quite literally landed on his doorstep, he had never believed that one day he would have a life so dependent upon him.

Seeing her stirring a little, he ran over to her to check on her, placing down his bokken beside the carrier. His heart skipped a little beat, but as she merely shifted position a little, but remained asleep. He just stroked her cheek tenderly with his finger, before turning back to the others.

As he returned to them, he was just in time to see Emily sweep Kevin's feet out from under him, before holding the bokken to his throat. She got a little round of applause from the others as they saw her.

"Wow, you took down Kevin!" Antonio complimented her.

"You did great Emily." Mia complimented her. Emily just grinned a little as she helped Kevin back to his feet. She had a lot more energy today than normal, a lot of exciting things were happening around the house. Although she couldn't tell anyone yet, she knew that Kevin and Mia were all but engaged, and there was a new baby in the house. Everything just seemed so much like the happy days she remembered back home on the farm.

"That was a really good move." Kevin agreed. "So, are we switching up partners?"

"Actually, I think that's enough for one morning." Jayden replied, checking his watch. "We still have a crib to build."

"Yay!" Emily cheered, hopping on the spot. She grabbed Mike, dragging him inside. "Come on, come on, come on!"

"Wow, Emily's more hyper than usual." Antonio chuckled as he started to wipe himself down with a towel. He saw Mia and Kevin disappear inside, remembering they had said something about an important phone call. He came over to Jayden, seeing him wince as he picked up the carrier, before switching it to the other hand.

"You know, it's admirable you're putting yourself out for her." Antonio said, taking the carrier from him. "How much good do you think you'll do her if you cripple yourself?"

"Antonio..."

"Jayden, it wasn't that long ago you were impaled!" Antonio reminded him. "Seriously, you need to look after yourself. If you don't do that, then you aren't looking after her."

"But you guys said..."

"Look, we just said she was yours, and the main responsibility would be yours." Antonio told him. "But that doesn't mean that we aren't willing to help."

"I guess it is still sore." Jayden conceded as they started to head inside. "Thanks for all your help."

"Anytime." Antonio answered, wrapping his arm around Jayden's shoulders.

Back at the hospital, Serena made her way to the physiotherapy area, finding Peter working on a resistance machine. She could see the look of pain on his phase as the physio took him through the exercises to strengthen the damaged muscles, but still couldn't help being happy to see him. As she approached, he smiled back. The physio could see the way he looked at Serena and just sighed.

"Alright, I guess that's enough for just now." The physio said, gently patting his shoulder as Peter returned to the starting position and relaxed. "You did well today."

As he left, Serena came over to him happily.

"You look like you've been working hard." She commented, seeing his sweat and the look of exertion on his face. He tried to keep his expression straight as he saw her, hoping not to show how truly painful his rehab was.

"Yeah, I have been." He told her. "It'll be a few months yet before I'm fully healed, but the doctors have said that if I progress like I have been, I could be discharged in a couple of days."

"I'll talk to Jayden about getting a room for you." Serena stated. "Though admittedly the house is getting quite full, especially since the baby came..."

"Baby?" Peter asked. "What baby?"

"Um..."

"I've been on a lot of meds, but not that many surely." He continued. "How...?"

"It's...a long story; I'll tell you when you get out of here." She told him, taking a deep breath as she tried hard to find somewhere to begin. Despite what she had heard him say, her heart still skipped several beats when she was steeling herself to try and tell him what she wanted to. "I've been thinking about you a lot."

"I kind of thought you had been." Peter commented. "I mean, you have been here every day since I arrived."

"Well I didn't want you to get lonely." She said, before shutting her eyes and inwardly kicking herself. She didn't want to make it sound like she was only there because she felt sorry for him, or she felt guilty about him being hurt.

"I think given the team of experts that have been around me 24/7, that's not exactly a danger." He laughed. "Thank God the Shiba Clan's insurance is picking up the tab for this."

"I think it's the least they could do considering Dekker did almost cut you in half working for them." She sighed. "Peter, I really need to tell you something."

"OK?" Peter asked her.

"Um...when you got hurt..." Her words tailed off, this wasn't the right place to start. It made it sound like he was a wounded puppy to her, like she liked him because he was vulnerable. "No...um...when you saved me on that oil rig..."

She growled. That wasn't right either. It made it sound like she was a schoolgirl with a hero complex. That she was crushing on him because she was grateful that he had freed her from captivity. She slammed a hand into the machine in frustration. Why was this so difficult?

"Serena, what is it?" He asked her, reaching to her, touching her arm softly. "You can tell me."

Serena felt his touch, and it was unlike any other time he had touched her. This time, the electricity she felt was overwhelming. She had felt sparks before, but now, when she was trying to reveal so much of herself to him, it almost knocked her clean onto her ass. She just looked to him, finding it hard to breathe.

"Serena, it's alright, I won't judge you." He assured her. "Just tell me mmm...!"

His words were cut off as she did something neither of them expected. There were no right words. She couldn't find anything in her head to say to him. Instead, she just grabbed him and pressed her lips to his. As they parted, they got some cheers and some applause from the other patients and doctors in the room, reminding them that they were not alone, but in that moment, it didn't seem to matter. Serena looked to Peter, panic beginning to set in, her eyes wide with fear and her heart racing uncontrollably. Now, she really had made a leap of faith, one from which there was no turning back.

"I..."

"Serena?" He asked her, a smile crossing his lips, relieving her a little. She just nodded a little nervously, still finding words incapable of making it from her brain to her mouth in any form of coherent manner.

"I'm sorry...I..."

"Don't be." He replied, grabbing her and pulling her down, ignoring the pain in his chest as he did so. He never believed he had a shot with her, and he had resigned himself to the pointlessness in pursuing her, but Serena had taken the lead, and crossed the bridge first, something he would never have even imagined in his wildest dreams she would ever do. Wrapping their arms around each other, they lost themselves in a passionate kiss as the other patients and doctors suddenly started to feel like they were interrupting, and started filing slowly out the door.

Fin.


End file.
